Wintertale
by Troll99
Summary: Winter vacation - something normal for average people, but something completely not normal for John Connor and his family. How would it look like if they suddenly decided to take some days off in the snow. Jameron. Concluded with chapter 33.
1. I've Got a Suggestion

_I don't own anything but the plot, grammatical errors, misspelling and bad ideas. Everything else is just borrowed, remodeled and used to my own selfish interest to create a universe I hadn't had a chance to see in the show._

_As always: characters are more "out of character" than "in character", especially Cameron. Deliberately. I want them the way I write them and since the producers of the show didn't want to give them to me, I decided to create them on my own. Everything written in my poor English, without any help (apart from Google translate – sometimes I get really crazy suggestions) from corrective hand(s)._

_I have absolutely no idea how often I'll be able to update, but I expect not as often as I did before (In Vino Veritas). I can only promise that I'll post every new chapter as soon as it's written, corrected digested, matured, rewritten and found acceptable by the author. Oh wait … that's me … But that still doesn't guarantee it will be good._

_Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy the ride although there'll be absolutely no battles, no different timelines, no attacking terminators. But there'll be a lot of everyday's activities, silly little romantic moments and my irrational satisfaction of creating something that some readers might even find amusing and worth reading. Oh, not to forget … I haven't decided yet how many chapters there'll be, but I do have a vague idea of more than 20 … if the muse stays with me. I'll do my best to convince her, but … sometimes that's not enough._

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**Chapter 1 – I've Got a Suggestion**

Sarah and John Connor sat together with Derek Reese and their resident terminator, Cameron Phillips, in the living room in their rented house and discussed Sarah's plan to finally do something what normal families do all the time: to make a winter vacation in some, if possible, more remote resort. It was definitely a security risk, what Cameron, sitting beside John on the couch, pointed out bluntly immediately after hearing of Sarah's plan. But for once in the history, Sarah didn't want to hear anything about security risk or lurking terminators. One look into the bright eyes of her son gave her all reassurance she could ask for; he so wanted to have at least one normal week that she simply couldn't ruin that now.

„Listen folks, I've got an idea, how we could make our winter vacation even more interesting." John looked at Sarah and Derek, who returned his look somehow suspiciously. "Hey, don't look at me as if I were a moron! How am I supposed to lead a mankind someday if even my own mother and uncle don't trust my suggestions. Listen to my idea first and after you've heard it, you can try to convince me that it's a bad idea and that we should do it completely differently. Hell, you can even consider my termination." He grinned foolishly at his words.

"John, please, don't use such terms in relation to yourself." Cameron looked at him with blank face, but her voice did sound slightly irritated.

Sarah's look revealed that she had her suspicions concerning John's yet unrevealed idea too, but she sighed and took his side nevertheless: "Well, John, if you think that your idea is so good, why don't you just tell us what you think."

"Thanks mom … I think." Commented John a bit sarcastic. „Yeah, I really do believe that this idea might be interesting. At least for some of you." He cast a pleading look in Cameron's direction. "Why don't we just go to Lake Tahoe. It's winter and there is lots of snow and we could try snowboarding. Well?" After no one reacted to his idea he added: "Well, if someone doesn't like snowboarding, there's skiing, sleighing, skating and all sorts of sports that we could try."

For another while everyone remained silent, but after a second Sarah looked at him and nodded: "You know, this might not be such a bad idea. We should try to have at least remotely normal vacation and this could help us in doing it. John, for a change, I even like your idea. Sure it's not as remote as I hoped for, but still … I guess we could find some cottage far away from people."

Derek snorted: "It's idiotic and breaks every security rule you can think of. Besides, why would I willingly risk my limbs by doing something stupid?"

"Because it's fun, that's why! Not to forget that you really started to look a little rusty. Have you gained weight from sitting in front of the TV set?" Answered John with a smirk.

Cameron's lips curved up in the slightest at John's remark. She wouldn't admit it even to herself, but she enjoyed when someone annoyed Derek Reese. Especially if she was the one doing it, but if it was John, teasing him, it would be as good as if she would be on the giving end. In the last months she had set up quite a large file named "Things to annoy Derek Reese with" and it grew larger every day. Needless to say that she made extensive and often use of its contents and the effects on the resistance fighter were quite remarkable, sometimes really making her day.

John turned to her and noticed her ghost of a smile: "You know Cameron I think you would do it just fine. Especially if we would learn together." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and gave her a sly smile.

Cameron turned to look John straight in the eyes and said with her best poker face: "I think that concerning my outstanding learning capabilities and my physical superiority to any human being I would learn much faster and would be, according to my calculations, able to teach you within three hours."

John's mouth fell but he didn't miss that his beautiful protector looked at him amused, although her face revealed nothing. "Are you trying to say that I'm slow?"

"I'm not trying to say anything. I'm just stating the facts." Deadpanned Cameron, still looking at him with blank face but vaguely amused eyes.

"You're making fun of me, aren't you?"

"Why would I make fun of you? I'm programmed to protect you, not to make jokes." At this last words amusement in her eyes vanished and was replaced by slightly hurt expression.

"OK, OK, time out!" Interjected Sarah. „You two can have your heart to heart discussion later when I'm not around. I'm really not interested in your little games of who's kidding whom. We should decide if we're going to accept John's suggestion or not. I would put it to vote, but democracy in such matters only spoils everything and manages a great deal of confusion. So it's up to me … I made a decision … we're going!"

„Thanks mom." Grinned John and looked at Cameron. Her face remained set in stone but she suddenly winked at him and smiled slightly. "I knew it!" Exclaimed John and grinned wider at her.

"Man, I hate being cold!" Protested Derek and gaped at Sarah in dismay. "I've been cold all time in the future war and now I have to go somewhere where it's even colder just to have fun? Somewhere where there's even a lot of snow? Worse even; I'd have to go out in the snow! No, sir, no thank you!"

"We're going and that's final! You, however, have a choice: either you go with us or …" Sarah grinned at him wickedly, hesitated for a second and continued with voice full of malice. "You can stay here and clean the house thoroughly. Oh, and don't forget to paint the walls and windows. In all rooms!" Sarah suddenly looked at him completely calmly, she even grinned slightly at him.

Derek shuddered vigorously: "Yeah, right, as if this were a choice at all. I can only take bad or worse and I chose former; I'll go with you. It's still better to be freezing in the snow than doing the painting and cleaning." He huffed, turned away from Sarah and started towards the kitchen to get a beer.

Cameron suddenly giggled so quietly that only John was able to hear her. He turned to her in utter surprise: "What?" He never heard her giggling before and it sounded to him like clinging of silver bells.

Cameron got her giggling under control, put her terminator face back on and answered with deadly serious voice: "I imagined Derek in white painter's clothes with a paper cap on his head, climbing up the ladder to paint the ceiling while holding a bucket with paint and a brush in one hand."

John exploded in laughter: "That's something I'd gladly pay to see."

Sarah looked astonished at her son, who managed to suppress his laughter and looked back at her in fake seriousness, while his eyes still laughed. She shook her head at him but chose not to comment at this time. She turned to Cameron instead: "Tin miss, you will find us appropriate accommodation. Nothing too fancy and definitely something where we won't be exposed to too much prying eyes. Perhaps an adjacent cabin or something like that."

Cameron nodded and went for the stairs to get to John's notebook which was in his room. John suddenly jumped up from the couch and hurried after her: "Wait Cameron, I'll help you."

"As if she would really need your help." Snorted Sarah at his eagerness. "I believe it's just your desire to hang out with her constantly that influenced this sudden decision to make use of yourself."

"I could use some help from John. He knows things even I don't." Answered Cameron instead of John, who just stared at her wide-eyed not quite believing what he just heard. Did Cameron really say he would know something more than her?

Sarah snorted dismissively again and chose not to pursue this conversation further. To her it was quite obvious that her son wanted to be in Cameron's company. _I should do something about his attachment to her. His affection for her is getting too obvious. And I don't like it._

John quietly followed Cameron upstairs, still thinking of her words and as they reached the landing, he grabbed her arm: "Cameron, what did you mean by I would know things even you don't?"

"I was just trying to reassure Sarah that you could really help me and in that moment I had no other idea how to convince her but to tell her you could help me in fulfilling my task." Deadpanned Cameron and looked at him with a hint of a smile.

"So, you didn't really mean it? You don't believe I could know more than you?" John was obviously having hard time to digest that Cameron thought he wouldn't know anything more than her, especially after just being led to believing the opposite. In a matter of seconds he felt like he'd be taken into the heavens and expelled from it just few seconds later.

Cameron sensed that John was getting annoyed and that was the last thing she wanted. Since he proposed this vacation she felt how some until now unknown warmth spread inside her and she wouldn't want their relationship to revert back to the strained one they had before. So she stopped, turned around to look John straight in the eyes and gently laid her other hand on his, still gripping her forearm: "John, I'm not trying to insult you. You know much more than anyone your age. And in the future you'll have even better information, better than anyone else. But you shouldn't forget that my database is much more extensive than your brain could possibly remember. I'm a machine, remember? The most advanced learning computer on Earth." She made a short pause and added bitterly: "And the most effective killing machine. You said it yourself. Quite a few times."

John felt how his cheeks began to burn. The bitterness in her voice as well as irritation and hurt in her eyes couldn't be overseen, even by someone who wouldn't know her as good as he. She was subtly trying to remind him of all the times he regarded her as just a machine, a tool. But at the same time she was trying to reassure him that he was important. "Cameron, you're probably the only person in the world who can tell me how important I am while at the same time make me feel like a total jerk."

Something like an involuntarily grin and appreciation flashed over Cameron's face. "It wasn't exactly my intention to make you feel bad, John. I was just stating the facts. But nevertheless … thank you for considering me as a person" Her face still showed no emotions, but her voice was much warmer than before. She felt happy that John obviously understood what she was trying to tell him between the words and even happier that he used the term person in relation to her.

John smiled at her sheepishly: "I'm sorry for ever hurting you. You must believe me, it was never my intention, just … clumsiness, ignorance. And I most definitely don't consider you a killing machine. No, Cameron, you're so much more than that, you're … you're my Cameron. Am I forgiven?"

This time Cameron's face didn't remain emotionless, her lips curved up slowly in a beautiful, albeit small smile: "You are, John." She suddenly felt warm inside, warmer than anytime before. _He thinks of me as his Cameron. He doesn't see in me the killing machine he used to see before._ Then she returned into the terminator mode: "We should start searching for some accommodation."

John jumped on the chair and opened his notebook: "Yeah, we should. And I already know what we are looking for. I mean … what we are going to find." He grinned goofily at Cameron, who looked at him quizzically with raised eyebrow not really wanting to know what John was up to right now. But after a while, curiosity got better of her and she asked: "May I ask; what are you looking for? If my memory serves me well, and it always does, your mother assigned the task to find suitable accommodations to me, not to you."

John's grin grew even wider while he nodded enthusiastically: "Yep, she did. And that's why we'll be doing it together. Come on Cameron. Let me enjoy this moment. I promise that you'll be satisfied with my choice."

"I would prefer if Sarah would be satisfied with your choice." Deadpanned Cameron and looked at him slightly irritated.

"And I don't give a damn if she's satisfied as long as you are." John looked at her apologetically.

His exclamation caused Cameron to slightly open her mouth in utter surprise. _Why would he want me to be satisfied? I'm just his mechanical protector and not someone who should be considered. Although … he did say I am a person and his Cameron._ "Why would you want me to be satisfied?" Her voice clearly depicted her confusion and she looked at him with questioning eyes.

"Well … because … you know … because you are very important to me." John stuttered before he found a way to answer her question and not reveal his true feelings at the same time. _Man, this was really lame! I can only hope she won't insist on getting a true answer. We'll definitely have a chance to clear this weird situation between us on this vacation. If I could only gather the courage to finally admit my feelings to her. _He prayed that he wouldn't blush and reveal his feelings to her inquisitive eyes, gazing at him without blinking.

Cameron knew very well that he wasn't telling her the truth, at least not all of it, but she saw his embarrassment and decided not to pursue this matter further. _I guess he feels attracted to me but is afraid of admitting it. We'll have enough time on vacation to sort these things out. Maybe we'll have a chance to talk in private and I'll force him to tell me what he really feels for me._

TBC


	2. Getting Rooms Is Not Easy

_Thanks everyone for your reviews. I'll try not to disappoint you with this one and following chapters. As I already wrote, every character will be quite OOC, however, not that different that they couldn't be recognized. Derek is still going to be his paranoid self, Sarah the bickering one ...**  
**_

_Anyway, here's the next chapter. They're still at home, but some things did happen since the decision to go to a winter vacation resort has been made. Some are happy with them, some not exactly... _

_I hope you enjoy the story.  
_

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**Chapter 2 – Getting Rooms Is Not Easy**

„Sorry mom, but this was the only possibility to book any accommodations. No single rooms, no family rooms, no free cabins, just few double rooms in this hotel. All other hotels are completely sold out. We really tried to find a suitable cabin, but it seems that they have all been rented months ago. Perhaps we should have looked for one sooner." John tried vigorously to persuade his mother that this was really the only possibility to get some accommodations in the time period she chose. His eyes, however, didn't exactly confirm his words. They darted all around Sarah's face as if trying to avoid being looked at directly, or attempting desperately to hide something, not exactly in unison with the spoken words. His voice was, on the contrary, quite persuasive and didn't reveal anything but sincerity, be it true or faked.

Sarah looked at him suspiciously, not completely persuaded that he had told her everything and then turned to look at Cameron, sitting by John's side looking completely passive and uninterested in the discussion between Sarah and her son. "Is that really so, tin miss?" John sighed inwardly, relieved that his mother didn't pay attention to his eyes, or maybe simply missed his efforts to look sincere.

Cameron nodded, maintaining her blank face: "We checked every hotel and resort in the vicinity, but these were only free accommodations in the requested time period."

Sarah sighed: "Oh well, then I'll probably have to share a room with you and John's going to get Derek as roommate." _I wonder if they planned it that way? Let's see John's reaction to this suggestion and see if I'm right or wrong._

John coughed: "Ahm … well … mom … you see … I think it would be better for me to be together with Cameron. You know … safety, many people, attacking terminators and all that stuff." He refused to look into Sarah's eyes, again, and he couldn't bring himself to concentrate his eyes on anything, so they darted all around the room.

Sarah snorted: "I should have known that you're up to something the moment you came up with your 'no rooms'! Soooooo … I guess that is the real reason why there are no cabins vacant? Not early bookers and similar natural disasters? Just your intention to share the room with tin miss." She turned towards Cameron again, just to see that her expression remained unchanged. While looking at the cyborg girl's face, she questioningly raised an eyebrow, as if challenging her to tell her the truth.

Cameron cast a quick look at John, who sat on the couch like a heap of misery, but immediately turned to look Sarah straight in the eyes and answered: "I think that John is judging the situation correctly. I can protect him the best if I'm together with him. Because we'll be staying in the hotel, full of guests, there will be many possible threats and even if we would get two rooms next to another, it could take me too long to get to him, should a need arise." Her voice remained emotionless, flat and cool.

"I don't believe it! You two planned from the very beginning to be together in one room, without cranky mom or nagging uncle interfering with you, right? And you," she pointed at Cameron with outstretched finger, "Why are you looking at my son before answering my question?" Sarah began to fume and raised her voice considerably.

"I object. We were just stating the facts. And the facts are that there are no other free accommodations in the time period you chose. I really can be much more effective in protecting John when I'm in the same room with him. And I look at him to check if everything is all right." There was a slight trace of annoyance in Cameron's voice, but Sarah couldn't pinpoint if it was for real or acted to reassure her. She was absolutely sure that John and Cameron really planned the whole vacation so that they would be together in one room. Well, at least she was sure that it was John's plan all along, while she wasn't quite sure if Cameron was just implementing John's suggestions and ideas or was she perhaps proposing and even directing some of her own.

Sarah waved her hand at Cameron: "Don't you give me that 'checking upon John' excuse. I know exactly why you're looking at him." Without saying anything else she peered at John, who was at the moment working hard on perfecting his camouflaging skills and tried to make himself invisible by adapting the color of the couch. He was quite successful at his efforts, for his facial color was beginning to take the same shade of red as the blanket on which he was sitting. She sighed and thought that after all, Cameron was right. They will be in a hotel, full of people, offering a perfect chance to try an assault and it would be advisable that Cameron stays with John 24/7. But she also knew very well that, seeing her son's reaction to his beautiful protector, such a solution could lead to some changes in their relationship, changes she couldn't say to be content with or to even approve of them. It was still more than obvious, that even John wasn't completely aware of his affection for Cameron, but this could change very quickly by having them both in one room for a week. Cameron was a different tale altogether. She couldn't break through the outer shell of a teenage looking cyborg and it maddened her that she wasn't able to decipher if she returned John's feelings. Sometimes she could swear that she did, the way she looked at her son when she thought no one would be watching her, the look of longing and affection clearly seen in her eyes and even showing on her face. But when she was aware that she was being observed, neither her eyes nor her face showed any recognizable emotions.

Then she remembered her last, but not the weakest weapon: "And how are you two going to explain this to Derek? I am reasonably sure that his attitude towards Cameron hasn't changed since yesterday and you two in one room …" She shook her head while grinning at the thought: "I guess he won't be exactly thrilled about it. I'll enjoy listening to you, trying to explain to him that you'll be staying with tin miss and especially finding a believable reason why it would be the best solution. You know his mistrust against anything not made of flesh and bones …" She trailed of, grinning even broadly.

John looked at her wide-eyed: "Why, that's something I hoped you would do."

Sarah's grin turned into one, looking especially wicked: "And this is supposed to be a future leader of the mankind, a hero of the resistance against machines, a messiah of the humanity. He doesn't even dare to talk to his own uncle about how he planned the accommodations for the vacation." She shook her head again, this time vigorously. "John! I'm not doing it for you! You made a decision and you should bear the consequences. You, not me."

Cameron saw this as a perfect occasion to chime in: "I'll tell him."

John's face was a picture of pure gratitude as he grabbed Cameron's hand without thinking and exclaimed in elation: "Cameron, I could kiss you for this."

Sarah gasped for air upon hearing her son's words, while Cameron looked completely taken aback and she cast her eyes to his hand, holding hers with open mouth. Neither of two ladies expected John to say something like that, not after he practically ignored Cameron for the last few months. He noticed their shock, dropped Cameron's hand as if he'd been burned and blushed further: "Ahem … well … not literally."

Cameron was the first to return to normal and she decided to tease him: "Why not, John? I was really looking forward to be kissed by you." She winked at him and noticed how Sarah began gasping for air like a fish out of water. John didn't look much better, just his face took another, if possible, even darker shade of red than before while his mouth repeatedly opened and closed without producing any articulated, understandable sound. _Did I really say it? I know, I know … I slipped and said something I really wanted to say, but I know I should never admit that I care for Cameron much more than I should care for my sister. Oh, heck, I think I love her… _At this thought his eyes suddenly widened but he managed to get himself under control not to reveal his thoughts to his mother … or to Cameron.

Sarah finally managed to retrieve her speech and screeched: "WHAAAAT? Are you two insane? John, there's no way I'm letting you share your room with … _her_! And you … you …" She turned to look at Cameron who was still grinning from ear to ear, but as soon as Sarah's eyes rested on her face, the mask of a deadly terminator returned. "What was that? Was that a joke? Are you making fun of me?"

"No, Sarah, I'm not making fun of you, I'm making fun of John. And yes, it was a joke." Cameron answered flatly, but fire in her eyes still burned and she couldn't hide her amusement as she added: "Why does everyone think I make fun of them? I'm just stating the facts." She deadpanned and fire vanished from her eyes, leaving the perfect terminator face in place.

Sarah calmed down visibly. Not just the fact that it was really no big deal what John said, also Cameron's try at making a joke was something she normally would laugh upon, naturally after surmounting the initial shock of hearing the terminator attempting to make a joke. She slowly began to think in reasonable frames again and after few seconds she grinned: "Well, I have to say that he deserved it. And it was quite a good joke. However … don't you ever try to really do the thing my dear son just mentioned." With her forefinger lifted, she cast them both a stern look.

John managed in the meantime to get rid of his deep red color and sighed relieved to be apparently off the hook: "Mom! You know it was just a figurative speech. I mean … I was so thankful that Cameron is prepared to poke the hornet's nest for me that I simply slipped."

Sarah grinned at him, completely forgetting that she should be angry with them both for putting her into such situation. "As if I would believe you John. I know you all too well to give your poor excuses any serious consideration. But there's still the decision to be made if we should let tin miss tell Derek that he's going to share the room with me. I really don't see any reasons for her taking the blame for something what _you_ did." Suddenly she realized what it really meant if John and Cameron would be in the same room. It meant, she would have to share a room with Derek Reese, and the thought of it made her shudder. "Jesus, I won't survive this vacation with Reese in the room with me."

Cameron grinned slightly at her: "I will tell him. I'm not afraid of him. If you wish I can give you some advice about what annoys him the most. I have extensive file containing things and actions that really annoy Derek Reese." She looked at Sarah proudly.

Sarah looked at her flabbergasted, but after few seconds her mouth began to curve upwards: "You do? I think that I could use some of your information to keep the man on a short leash."

Cameron tilted her head in confusion: "Short leash? But … I thought that only pets are being kept on a leash, not humans."

John snorted and tried hard to suppress laughter as he heard Cameron's question. She always managed to amuse him with her childlike curiosity and naivety. He forgot too often that she was very young in terms of human experiences and some things, humans took for granted and didn't even think about them, represented a difficult question for her. As he saw her turning to him with questioningly eyes and as he looked that an almost unnoticeable flash of hurt passed her face, he reminded himself of it again. She couldn't simply understand the many nuances that humans learned while growing up, for she never had a chance to grow up as a human child. Suddenly he felt sorry for her and in his mind he made a promise to himself to always help her come to terms with the whole 'being human' problem. He looked at her gently: "It's just a phrase we use to say that you won't allow someone to handle on their own."

Cameron's head tilted even further and for a second her face remained blank, but after she processed his explanation, she gave him a shy smile: "Thank you for explaining."

John melted into the couch at these words and her smile, underlined with her adorably tilted head, but managed to hide his affection before Sarah could notice how he reacted to Cameron's words and her head tilt, which he found impossibly cute.

Sarah grinned at Cameron: "Now you know what it means to keep someone on a short leash. I count on you to keep my son on an even shorter one. No wandering off, no lunatic actions, no teenage rebellion, understood?"

Cameron, who was still looking at John with a smile on her lips and warmth in her eyes, turned to Sarah to show her the terminator face again and nodded solemnly: "I can do that. I will go get a leash and a collar to put it around his neck. I'll find a store for pet appliances right away." She got up, turned as if she would want to go out but, upon hearing John's voice, stopped before reaching the door and looked over her shoulder towards him.

John's jaw fell as he looked at her in shock: "What? Didn't I just explain to you that it doesn't literally mean to …" He trailed off as he saw Cameron's eyes dancing with laughter and grin on her lips getting bigger with every word he said. "You … you … you are getting far too good at teasing me!"

Sarah watched amused. _How did tin miss managed to suddenly have such a sense of humor? It looks like she'd really understood the point of humor, like she'd know exactly when she should use it. I wouldn't like to be in John's skin after she develops her wicked humor completely._

Cameron returned to John while still grinning at him: "Relax John, I was just kidding you. I would never put you on a leash." She reached for him and touched his forearm gently: "At least not literally."

John began to grin at her too. "You know Cameron … we'll have to work on your sense of humor a bit. You're being far too sarcastic for someone who actually just began to understand human emotions."

Sarah watched the exchange between them and silently shook her head. They were acting completely differently as only few days ago, more relaxed, satisfied with their relationship, not being tense in company of another. She couldn't put her finger on the difference, but she was sure that there was an unavoidable danger something would change completely in the next few days. "Well, now that you two have cleared this … when are you going to tell Derek?"

Cameron looked at her: "I'll find a right time and place so that there will be no negative consequences. I believe Derek Reese won't be thrilled by this solution. I wouldn't want to expose John to possible verbal mishandling."

John protested: "What about you? He could flip out and hurt you."

Cameron smiled gently at him: "Thank you for your care John, but he can't hurt me. Besides, I don't think he would go as far as trying to do anything to me."

John still wasn't convinced: "I still don't want you to talk to him alone. I'm going to be with you."

Cameron was taken aback, seeing that he really meant what he had said. His care for her was something she wouldn't expect in her wildest dreams, not after months of neglect, sometimes even open hatred and impatience. Little did she know that it was all just a show for everyone, a show, made by John to convince everyone, but first of all himself, that he didn't care about her, while he in fact knew that he cared for her much more than he should. She smiled tenderly and nodded: "I agree if you really want to. We'll tell him before we leave, OK?"

John nodded and grinned at her: "Yeah, OK."

TBC


	3. Off We Go

_Still at home, but preparing to leave for a long wanted and deserved vacation. John has some troubles. Which? Read and find out!_

_Thanks for friendly reviews. I didn't know I could write something people would actually like ..._

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**Chapter 3 – Off We Go**

"Damn!" John jumped out of the bed and frantically searched for a clock. He was sure he'd overslept the departure and the others were already gone without him. Not that it could be true, but his mind was still in a half dream state and working at about 10% of its full capacity. As he finally found the clock and wiped his eyes to see the display, he sighed relieved: "Thanks God, it's still early." He fell back to the bed and contemplated his options. He could try to sleep for another thirty minutes or he could get up early and try to find something to eat. After few seconds he decided for the latter. He was too excited to be able to go back to sleep and maybe he could scavenge something edible in the kitchen.

After a yawn, a stretch and a deep sigh, he searched for his jeans and found it under the table. While pulling it on he jumped on one leg and, not being fully awake, with his balance being seriously diminished, it was absolutely no wonder that he managed to fall over like a log, being lucky not to hit anything with his head. _Damn again! I need a mug of coffee. No, not a mug, a bucket of nice, fresh, hot coffee!_

After a short intermezzo of cursing in the horizontal position, sprawled over the floor, he set on to get up and finally managed to put on his clothes. Walking sleepily over to the door, he tried to grab the door handle, missed it two times, and managed to hit it in his third try. He opened the door and padded across the landing towards the stairs. He couldn't hear anything and he thought that he just might be the first one to wake up. _Wait! I can't be the first one. Cameron doesn't sleep, so she should be awake._ He dreamily thought about Cameron, sitting at the kitchen table and longingly looking at him with her big warm brown eyes. He shuddered. _Wake up man! She's not there … probably._

He finally managed to get Cameron's picture out of his mind and quietly descended the stairs into the kitchen. There was no one there and he felt just a little disappointed that Cameron really wasn't there. _Well, she's probably out, making her rounds or in her room, packing her things and getting ready for the vacation._ He went over to the counter to the coffee machine and prepared everything for a big mug of coffee. While the water began to boil and the coffee began to fill the jar, he looked at the machine sleepily and tried to figure out what would they do first after arriving to their destination. The gurgling sound of the machine, finished with filling of the jar, woke him out of his reveries and he reached for the biggest mug he could find. After he filled it with as much coffee as it could hold, he began to fill the sugar in it. One spoon, two spoons, three spoons … "John, you know it's not healthy to put so much sugar in your coffee."

He almost jumped out of his skin as he heard Cameron's voice from behind. "Jeez, Cameron, don't do it again, please! You scared me to death!" He balanced the mug in his hand, barely escaping spilling its contents over himself.

"If I really intended to scare you to death, you'd be dead by now." Cameron smirked at his horrified face and walked up to him, until she was only inches away from him. "But so much sugar still doesn't do anything good to you. I suggest you spill this coffee away and fill your mug with fresh coffee and no sugar."

John looked at her with open mouth: "Are you saying … are you going to kill me by scaring me? And no, I won't throw good coffee away just because you say so."

Cameron smiled: "John, I would never do anything to harm you in any way, you know that. That's why I suggested a new mug of coffee. But I wouldn't force you …"

John smiled back: "Right!" He took a sip of his coffee and made a face. "It's too sweet!"

Cameron grinned at him: "I told you so, but you wouldn't listen to me. Now you should bear the consequences of your mistrust."

John grinned back in realization, how right she was … again. He went over to the kitchen table and sat down while motioning Cameron to join him. She followed his invitation and sat down next to him, maybe just a little bit closer than normally. It didn't escape him and he grinned inwardly at it. He also didn't miss her looking at him longingly and it really made his heart skip a beat. _She's looking at me just as I imagined she would. No, just as I wanted her to._

"So, what are we going to do when we come to the hotel? I'd like to go out right away." He asked her while sipping at his too sweet coffee and making distasteful faces at each sip. It was really awfully sweet, but he wouldn't throw it away and admit that Cameron was right all the time.

"I guess we'll see when we get there. You shouldn't forget that we will need a whole day to get there and we'll be arriving very late." Cameron answered while looking at her hands, laid on the table. Then she lifted her head and looked into his eyes: "I still have to tell Derek about the rooms."

John twisted his face at the thought that they would have to face his uncle with the news. "I know." Then he smiled at her: "But I'll be with you, promise."

Cameron smiled at him thankfully and gently laid her hand on his: "Thank you John. I really appreciate your care."

John suddenly found himself blushing furiously. Her hand on his felt like fire on ice and he gulped: "Don't mention it Cameron. I'll always be there to help you."

Cameron was flabbergasted at this exclamation and she slightly opened her mouth. She definitely wasn't prepared for John being so caring towards her. She felt warm inside to be so important to him.

Before she could answer him, they heard clomping of the boots from the living room and their eyes met. They both nodded in unison, knowing that it was Derek, coming into the kitchen.

Few moments later they were proved right. Derek entered the kitchen yawning but as soon as he saw Cameron sitting at John's side he stopped in the middle of a yawn and shuddered: "What is the metal doing here? I won't even be able to take my well deserved breakfast with it in the room."

Suddenly John felt how his temper rose exponentially and he growled at his uncle: "_It _has a name and the name is Cameron. So, please, be so kind to make use of this information in the future. By the way, Cameron has something to tell you." He nudged her gently in the ribs and smiled at her.

Cameron smiled back and turned to Derek, showing him a pure terminator face. John suddenly asked himself how she could change her expression in a split second. Whenever she looked at him, she was animated, alive, but the second she turned to Derek, she was a pure machine, with no emotions visible.

Cameron looked at Derek with cold eyes: "That's right. Sarah gave me an assignment to find us accommodations. Unfortunately no cabins were free, so we had to book two double rooms. Due to the fact, that I have to protect John, you are forced to share your room with Sarah. Do you have any objections?"

Derek listened to her explanation with open mouth and after she finished he definitely couldn't sort out his thoughts, so he just shook his head, not really understanding what Cameron just told him.

Before he could really dwell on her words, Cameron lifted her chin and confirmed: "OK, that's settled then." She turned to John and her expression instantly turned into warm one: "Would you please help me with packing John? I have no idea what to take with. I've never seen snow before and I would really need your help." Her eyes looked at John so pleadingly, that his heart skipped a beat again. _If this is going to continue, I'll get a heart attack before we even leave!_

"Ahem … sure … I'd be glad to help you!" He jumped and instantly forgot his coffee, his uncle and everything he could see was Cameron, smiling shyly at him and stretching her hand to take his. Without really considering his actions he took her hand and let himself be lead by her to the stairs.

Derek stood like a statue and only after few seconds he thawed and his brain began to work again. _Did the metal really just told me it would stay together with John in one room? Did it say that I'll have to share a room with Sarah freaking Connor? Did I really saw it lead John out of the room by holding his hand?_ He shuddered and decided that it was too early in the morning to believe anything he just saw. He pointed himself towards the coffee machine to make himself a big cup of coffee.

Meanwhile Cameron and John already reached the landing. "Gee, Cameron, you did this excellently. Derek didn't even react." John grinned at his protector, who still held his hand and lead him towards her room.

"He'll understand what I told him later. We should prepare ourselves for a storm." Cameron knew Derek very well and she didn't fool herself for a second that the story was over. She knew that Derek would react as she expected him to, just a little bit later.

"Really? Are you sure?" John's face fell.

"Yes, John, I'm sure. But let's not think of him right now. I still need your help by packing." She smiled at him mischievously and reached for the door of her room.

John felt like in a dream and had absolutely no will to resist her so he willingly followed her like a puppy follows its master. They entered her room and Cameron closed the door behind them.

Sarah awoke with a start and glanced over to the clock. As she saw what time it was, she sighed relieved and slowly got up. She dressed herself and dreamed of a hot coffee cup. Few minutes after getting up she was already on her way to the kitchen to make herself nice mug of coffee. Entering the kitchen she saw Derek, sitting at the table, holding a large cup in his hands and staring blankly into nothing. "Hey, Reese, what's up? You look a little lost."

Derek slowly lifted his head to look at her: "Yeah, I feel like being in a wrong movie. The metal just told me it would stay in one room with John and I'm supposed to share a room with you." His voice was flat, without any emotion.

Sarah grinned. _So, they did tell him._ "Sure, she told you the truth. John's safety is of highest priority and she can do it best if they're together."

"And you agreed to such nonsense? Sarah, how many times do I have to tell you that it can't be trusted. It'll kill him!" Derek's voice began to gain on the volume.

"Look, Reese. It's so and you can either accept it or whine about injustice and I don't know what problems you might have more. Not that I'd approve of them, staying in one room. For the time being, it's the best solution, so you're stuck with me. And I most definitely don't look forward for a week with a snoring champion in my room …" Sarah grinned evilly at Derek.

"What? I do not snore! No way!" Derek protested vigorously. "And I'm definitely not OK with it in John's room."

Sarah sighed: "Too bad for you, because that's the way it's going to be. For the time being …"

Derek mumbled something incomprehensible in his kin and decided not to comment for now. There will be enough time to persuade Sarah later during the journey or even after they've arrived to their destination. It was obvious, that she wasn't completely awake yet and he believed to have heard her annoyance with the room arrangement as well.

Sarah pointed herself towards the coffee machine to finally get the so desired coffee and stopped at it. She froze for a second and turned slowly towards Derek: "Who was the last to use this machine?"

"I was the one. I needed a large mug of coffee after the metal told me the news."

"Next time make sure to clean it after you use it. Or you can expect that this thing will suddenly become airborne and hit your thick skull." Sarah fumed. "Now get over here and make me some coffee!"

"Whatever her majesty requests." Derek's voice was full of mock as he slowly rose to clean the machine and make some more coffee for Sarah. "Just for the record: the machine wasn't clean as I came into the kitchen. I guess the metal made coffee for John and didn't see it necessary to clean the machine."

Sarah laughed: "Derek, you're so bad at making believable excuses. Cameron would never leave the machine dirty. John – sure; Cameron – no way. Don't babble, just make me some coffee … and make it strong!" She sat on the chair, laid her elbows on the table and supported her kin with her hands while watching Derek at the coffee machine and waiting for her mug of invigorating concoction.

Meanwhile in Cameron's room John's face went through all colors of the rainbow and some more. While she was ransacking her closet to find appropriate clothing, she asked him this and that, inquired what she should wear, how cold it would be. He couldn't believe that this was the same Cameron as the one from only few days ago. She sounded and looked so alive, so human, so real that he would never believe her being a machine hadn't he known it. _There must be much more than just programming in this chip of hers. No matter how sophisticated, I don't believe any program could make her act so human. _But his biggest problem arose when she went over to collect the necessary underwear. As his eyes fell on those tiny, flimsy, lacy things in purple, pink and black, he suddenly felt like he'd be encapsulated in the Turkish sauna pot and without really thinking he began to stretch the collar of his T-shirt with the forefinger to get some more air into his lungs and to cool his, suddenly very hot, neck. Not that he hadn't have seen such things before, but when he did, they were usually on the pictures or on the store window dolls. But now they were very real in the hands of a very beautiful girl and he couldn't get the picture of Cameron, wearing them, out of his head. No matter how hard he tried, he began to breathe heavily at the mental picture of her, wearing nothing but Victoria's Secret best underwear. He shook his head vigorously and tried to look away, but nothing worked. She was still parading right there in the middle of his daydreams.

Of course Cameron noticed John's problems and decided to tease him a little more. She held a hanger with pink lace bra and matching panties in her outstretched left arm and a hanger with purple version in her right one and looked from one hand to another as if she couldn't make up her mind. "What do you think John, which one would be better: the pink or the purple one?" She cast him an innocent questioning look while grinning inwardly at his embarrassment. "I can't decide. Human girls are supposed to love pink, but I prefer purple or black. So, which one do you prefer?"

"On you everything … khm … sorry." John coughed trying to hide his extreme embarrassment because of having almost voiced his improper thoughts. _On you I prefer everything. It doesn't matter the color or shape as long as it's you who wears it._ "I guess they are both nice and you'd make the best decision to take them both." He tried to get out of the affair with flying colors, but he knew that this attempt was a little too lame for that.

Cameron took her time to mull over his words, made an indecisive face, pouted a little and looked at John thoughtfully. "I guess you're right. I'll take them both." She put the objects of John's embarrassment in her bag and smiled at him relieved: "Thank you for helping me John. I appreciate your help very much."

"Of course. I told you I'd always be there to help you, even if it means assisting you at choosing your underwear." John gradually managed to get rid of his unusual facial color and embarrassment and grinned at her. "Have you packed everything? Are we ready to go?"

"I hope I have everything I need. But … what about the clothes for snowboarding? We don't have any." Retorted Cameron thoughtfully, while scanning the contents of her bag and in her mind checking the list of items she put in there. After she checked the list and found it to be complete, she looked at John with big puppy dog eyes and waited for his answer.

"We'll get some when we get there. I don't have any suitable either. But … maybe we can make such vacation each winter and we could buy us some nice, cozy clothes to wear them every year. You could get some nice purple things." John was fighting the urge to hug her at seeing her big brown eyes gazing at him longingly. "Well," he coughed again, "If you're ready, we should go downstairs and put our bags in the car."

Cameron tilted her head: "Have you already packed your bag? I didn't see you doing it." She almost sounded disappointed that she wouldn't get the chance to help him pack his bag.

John grinned, missing her disappointment totally: "I packed everything yesterday." At seeing her slight frown, he quickly added: "I couldn't sleep, so I simply packed my things."

Cameron just nodded and grabbed her bag, just to get it torn from her hand the next second. She frowned at John, who grinned at her while holding her bag: "What are you doing John?"

"Ladies aren't supposed to carry heavy bags. It's the task for cavaliers." John grinned at her gently.

Slowly Cameron's frown disappeared and she looked completely astonished at his kindness: "John … I … thank you, but I'm much stronger than you are." Quite uncharacteristically for her she stuttered before regaining control of her speech and smiled thankfully at him, with just a small hint of mischievousness in her sparkling eyes. _I must be dreaming. That's it! I woke up in a parallel world where John values me and helps me. I hope I'll stay in this world. It's much better than the one I was in before, where John yelled at me and ran away from me._

John just smiled at her and went for the door to carry her bag downstairs. Cameron followed immediately, still wondering about how much John had changed in only one day. The inner warmth was becoming almost constant state of her feelings in the last days when she was around John.

Sarah and Derek finished their morning coffee a while ago and have already brought their bags and deposited them at the entrance door. Sarah was just about to yell for John, when she suddenly noticed, that his bag was already there. She frowned: "I didn't see him bringing it. When did he do it?"

Derek shrugged: "I have no idea. Probably earlier this morning." Before he could continue, they heard steps on the landing and laughter. They both looked up in surprise and their eyes widened as they saw John, carrying a bag and Cameron beside him, carrying nothing but laughing like a human girl, walking so close to him that they were almost touching. Upon seeing it Derek shook his head. _There are too much unbelievable things happening today. I must be still sleeping or I woke up in another timeline._

Sarah's eyes darted from the bag in John's hand to the bag, lying on the floor at the entrance door. "John! Are you taking two bags with you?"

"No mum. This one is Cameron's. I've already brought mine … see, there it is, right at the door." Answered John calmly.

"Why are you carrying her bag? Is she damaged and can't carry it herself?" Sarah's voice was full of venom.

"No, I wanted to carry it. It's a thing a gentleman should do for a lady." John knew exactly what his mother was trying to say and decided he wouldn't let himself be scared by her.

"I see. We'll talk about it later. Now get your bags in the car. We're leaving now. It's a long way to Lake Tahoe." Sarah spat the words out.

"Whatever." John shrugged nonchalantly, not quite believing that he really countered his mother so defiantly.

Sarah opened her mouth to say something poisonously but decided differently, shook her head and turned to the door.

TBC


	4. Journey with the Connors

_OK, so now they're ready to go ... all packed up, angry, eager, confused etc. They just have to get there somehow. And check in ... and unpack ... and ..._

_Here's the next chapter. I'm not exactly satisfied with it, I rewrote it a few times, but it simply doesn't want to get better. lol Still, I hope you'll read it and maybe ... just maybe ... somebody will even find it interesting._

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**Chapter 4 – Journey with the Connors**

"I still think it would be a better idea if I would be driving. We still have another 300 miles to drive and I'm the only one who can't get tired." Cameron spoke flatly, without any expression on her face, slightly leaning forward from her place on the back seat, while in her eyes a slight trace of annoyance could be seen, if someone knew what to look for.

"I've already told you for the last ten time tin miss … NO! I'll do the driving and if I should grow tired, there's still Derek to take over." Sarah couldn't hide a slight note of impatience in her voice. She was reluctant to let Cameron drive, without having any clear reason. She cast a quick glance to the front passenger seat, occupied by Derek Reese and saw him grinning apprehensively. In that moment she felt some irrational anger flaring up in her and she snapped: "Don't grin like a Cheshire cat, Reese!"

Cameron leaned back in her seat, folded her arms across her chest and huffed. She only wanted to relieve her human companions of an effort to drive such a long distance but each time she suggested it, she was met with a rebuff from Sarah. She suddenly felt John's hand, gently touching her forearm and looked at him. He smiled at her comfortingly and in an instant she felt how her sulkiness disappeared. Just one look in his warm eyes was enough to make her feel better. "Don't be angry Cameron. Relax and enjoy the ride. There will be more than enough opportunities to help my mom in the future."

"But I really only wanted to help!" She couldn't help but sulk and pout a little bit more, albeit not exactly seriously. Looking into his eyes, she felt how her lips slowly began to curve upside and before she could process what was going on with her, she was smiling at him shyly. "Thank you anyway, John."

John was overwhelmed by the fact, how he could change her mood in a matter of seconds. He was really proud that he, and only he, had such an influence on her. _Wait a minute! Do terminators have moods? I've never heard of a machine sulking, because she wasn't allowed to help and yet she sits here sulking, because my mother didn't allow her to drive._

They've been on the road for about four hours now without stopping and they slowly began to get frustrated. It was really high time to make a stop, to stretch their stiff limbs and to get away from each other for a second. Well, not everyone needed to take a break from the others. John and Cameron definitely didn't need a break from each other. Since the beginning of the journey they've been sitting on the back sit bravely like two kids in front of principal's office, but, quite uncharacteristically, they didn't keep quiet, but talked almost all the time, however, so quietly, that Sarah and Derek couldn't understand what they were talking about, what made Sarah even more jumpy. Only occasionally there was a short period of silence, but it was never an awkward one. It even felt comfortable just to sit there and contemplate the closeness of an important person. From time to time they exchanged furtive glances and every time their eyes met, they both smiled shyly and quickly turned to look out of the window again. They both felt warm inside at these glances, not knowing that the other one felt the same.

"I think we should stop for few minutes mom." John shifted in his seat and moved a little closer to Cameron. "My legs are starting to stiffen and I could also use the restroom."

Sarah looked at the instrument panel: "Well, we'll have to stop for gas sometime soon, so that's when you'll get your chance."

Derek had to add his five cents: "And don't be such a baby, John. How could you be in such a need after only four hours?"

John chose to ignore his uncle's remark and cast a glance at Cameron, just to see how she glared murderous in Derek's direction. _Oh dear, it makes her seriously miffed if some makes fun of me. She should learn to relax a bit. Maybe I could teach her?_ "Cameron, just ignore him. He enjoys making you angry, just to show that you're not to be trusted. But you know better than that, right?" He gently stroked her hand to calm her.

It obviously worked again, for her eyes softened as she turned to look at him: "I don't care what he thinks of me but I can't accept anyone insulting you. Especially not Derek Reese." She tilted her head and fixed him with her huge brown eyes.

Derek turned halfway to look at the backseat: "I don't give a damn what you think metal. Everything you say is irrelevant for me. And I'll insult anyone I want, anytime I want and anyhow I want."

John laughed humorless at his words: "If I were in your place Derek, I'd reconsider at least twice, before giving such statements. I don't think you'd enjoy being the target of Cameron's AND my revenge."

"Hey, hey, hey! STOP! Stop arguing over such trivial issues. I have to drive and I can't listen to your stupid remarks and pointless ranting. It just distracts me. Don't forget that we're going on vacation and I definitely don't need any fighting before we're even arrived there." Sarah stopped the debate, which threatened to go up in flames, with resolute and quite loud voice. At that moment she noticed a rest area and announced: "We're stopping here for the gas and everything else you might need. And no objections!"

Cameron was looking at John with surprise, written all over her face. She still couldn't understand how much he had changed in relation to her. In the last few days he never missed the opportunity to defend her from Derek's and Sarah's insults. She suddenly felt valued and important and she had to admit to herself that it was a wonderful feeling. If only it would stay that way.

John grinned upon hearing his mother's words: "Finally!" He slid on his seat even closer to Cameron, almost touching her hip.

It took them another six hours and one more stop to reach their destination. Sarah was reluctant to allow anyone else to drive and weariness began to overwhelm her. She felt tired and was glad that they finally arrived. In her thoughts she thanked to whoever was responsible that the road conditions were good. There was no snow or ice, although the land along the road was covered with a thick layer of snow. As they stepped out of the car, they also noticed, that it was bitter cold.

"I'll go and check us in. After all, we made the booking under my name." Cameron didn't allow anyone else to go to the reception. Sarah looked a bit surprised that Cameron would do such a thing, but after seeing her determined face, she let her have her way and didn't want to object her. John was eyeing his protector conspiratorial, knowing exactly why she didn't want Sarah or Derek with her at check-in. After all, they did make the booking together. He almost began to grin, but could suppress it just in time not to reveal himself to his mother. Cameron looked at him, winked with a small smile and strode purposefully towards the hotel entrance.

"Hey, tin miss, what about your bag!" Sarah noticed that Cameron didn't make any effort to take her bag with her, but Cameron simply ignored her call and continued towards the hotel entrance.

"I'll take it!" John grabbed both their bags and pointed himself after Cameron, not allowing his mother any answer or reaction.

Derek stood rooted to the spot and looked after his nephew: "Is he going mad or what? Now he's playing a gentleman for the metal. I must still be dreaming!" He shook his head and turned to take his bag. Sarah too looked after her son, but refused to comment on his behavior. However, she fumed inside and swore to herself to have a long, very loud and very one sided conversation with John after they'd checked in their rooms.

As John entered the lobby, he could see Cameron standing at the reception desk, smiling sweetly at the young man behind the counter. It was obvious, that the receptionist had some problems concentrating on his work, for his cheeks were ever so rosy as if it would suddenly become very hot in the lobby and his eyes kept on turning to look at Cameron's smiling face. John grinned at the sight but also felt a small pang of jealousy. He suddenly realized that he didn't want Cameron to smile to someone else so sweetly. She should reserve her beautiful smile for him. But, he had to admit, that it was obviously very effective, for he saw that the young man already handed her the cards for their rooms. Even from his distance he could see that Cameron smiled even wider what made the man blush furiously and after she turned to walk to him, man's eyes slowly glided along her perfect figure. John's face darkened at the sight of the man and he realized with small surprise that he was actually very jealous.

He dropped the bags and waited there for her to join him. Before she covered the distance between the counter and him, Sarah and Derek joined him and waited too.

Sarah was looking Cameron walking towards them and suddenly realized that the cyborg didn't walk in her usual horse-like way, but just as any girl her age would. _She's changing from day to day. If I wouldn't know better, I'd swear that she's a beautiful teenage girl and not a killer machine from the dark future._

After Cameron reached them, she smiled slightly at John, but her smile vanished after she turned towards Sarah. She handed her one card: "Here; room number 223 for Sarah Baum and Derek Reese."

"And where are you two? I mean, in which room?" Asked Sarah curiously.

"We're in the room 516. Unfortunately they didn't have two rooms on the same floor. It would really be a problem for me to protect John should I have to share a room with you." Cameron was obviously enjoying the fact that they made the booking as they did.

Meanwhile John craned his neck to look at the paper, Cameron held in her hand: "Cool! Cameron Phillips and John Baum." He looked at Cameron and grinned foolishly. "At least we won't have to pretend to be siblings."

"WHAT!" Sarah exploded with rage. "How dare you present yourself as Phillips! I'm not allowing this. Give me the paper! I'll sort it out with the receptionist. NOW!"

"I don't think so, mum. It's better this way. How would it look if we'd be in one room as siblings? Someone might get the wrong idea. Or, even worse, someone could think we're married." John had the answer ready and delivered it with a cheeky smirk. No wonder, they really did plan everything from the moment they made the booking and due to Cameron's thoroughness they had an explanation and excuse for almost every possible objection Sarah or Derek might raise.

Sarah fumed especially when she saw her son's smirk and realized without a doubt that such arrangement had been planned by him and Cameron all along, but she slowly realized that he might be right. It would probably really look a bit awkward if they would share a room as siblings or even a married couple. She even shuddered a little at the thought that they could be regarded as a couple. But she still couldn't get rid of a very bad feeling that something would be going to happen in the next few days. It took her few seconds, but she did calm down significantly and let out an exasperated sigh: "So you two really did plan everything this way, right? You even made up every possible excuse for presenting your arrangements as the best possible."

Before she could go on, she was rudely cut off by Derek, who was obviously trying very hard to suppress his anger but failing in his efforts: "I told you Sarah! But you wouldn't listen to me! No, the lady knew everything better than the dumb warrior from the future! I'm just a stupid uncle with no education! Just look how it's trying to claw its metal fingers in him and take him away from you. He's already been brainwashed by it! That's what these things are made for. We should burn it immediately!"

John's face darkened upon hearing his uncle's words: "Now you listen to me, Derek Reese!" His voice was quiet, but sounded dangerous and he didn't even pretend to be looking friendly at his uncle. "I already told you once that her name is Cameron. I won't tolerate any more outbursts like this. If you don't like the way it is, you can return home and do what my mom told you to, or even get lost. Your call. And I couldn't care less that you're supposed to be related to me." He ended his little speech sooner as intended for he felt a feather light touch of Cameron's hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at her and saw that she slightly shook her head at him, while looking at him pleadingly. It was all that it took to make him calm down and he looked at her apologetically, his anger dissolving in the warm brown pools that gazed at him.

Even Sarah, although angry because Cameron presented herself as not related to John, noticed that Derek went too far this time and slapped his arm forcefully: "That's enough Reese! I may not approve of what she did, but she's still John's best chance of survival. And you will accept it … or do what John said!"

Derek looked at her in utter disbelief, but upon seeing determination written all over her face, he just spat out with a shrug: "Fine", picked up his bag and started towards the stairs to the rooms.

Sarah cast another threatening look in Cameron's direction and made clear: "I still don't approve of what you two did, but I'll accept it for the time being. Now go to your room, pack out and we'll meet here in half an hour to decide what to do tomorrow."

John understood that it was the best they could get right now and didn't try to push it any further so he just nodded, picked up his bag and stretched his hand towards Cameron: "Shall we?"

Upon seeing this, Sarah shook her head annoyed, but bit her tongue and chose not to comment. She turned and followed Derek, who was already at the stairs to go up to their room. John grinned after her, but turned to Cameron as he felt her hand, grasping for his. As their eyes met, he saw that she was smiling at him gently. "We should take the elevator." His voice felt a little insecure and Cameron's hand in his felt hot like fire. He gulped and pulled her towards the elevators, noticing that she willingly followed his lead. _Here I am, a teenage boy, leading around the most sophisticated creation Skynet ever made, who could decapitate me with a single blow of her hand and outsmart the best supercomputer. And yet she lets me guide her, as if she really were as fragile as she looks. _He grinned proudly at himself.

After they reached their room, John was curious what it would look like. He had stayed in many motels in his life, but this hotel was way better than any of those hotels, motels and boarding houses, he had a chance to experience before. He already wanted to enter the room as he felt Cameron's hand on his shoulder, yanking him back gently but firmly and leaving no doubts that he should wait for her to enter the room first. "I'll go in first!" She looked at him with determination that didn't give him any chance to oppose. So he just nodded and let enter the room as first. She made few quick steps in the room, scanned it quickly, opened the door to the bathroom and after few seconds turned to John, obviously satisfied with what she found – namely nothing. "It's safe to enter the room John."

John sighed with a smile: "What did you expect to find Cameron? It's just an ordinary boring hotel room. It's not like it would be a terminator hideout." The second he said it he already regretted his big uncontrollable mouth. He saw how light in Cameron's eyes instantly died and she spoke mechanically: "I'm here to protect you John. That's what I'm going to do, and it doesn't matter if you like it or not."

"I'm sorry Cam. I didn't mean to criticize you. It was just that I really think there would be no danger waiting inside. But I do understand your care and I'm thankful that you are by my side and on my side. Really!" He reached for her hand again, interlaced their fingers and squeezed it gently. He didn't miss the slight widening of her eyes as he called her Cam and he saw how coldness in them melted away at his words.

_He called me Cam. He had never called me that way before. I like it._ Cameron felt good and she smiled at him: "I understand John. But you have to understand me too. It's not just that it's my mission to protect you. I … I _want_ to protect you." She was suddenly stuttering as she realized that she was telling him the truth. It wasn't her programming or her mission to protect him anymore; no, she _wanted_ to protect him, she _wanted_ to be at his side. Always. She wondered for a second how it could happen that her feelings, her wishes overrode her programming, but found no plausible explanation. She filed the question to analyze it further some other time.

John was lost in her eyes for a second, but remembered that they were still standing in front of the door to their room, so he cleared his throat and spoke in a hoarse voice: "Well, let's step inside, shall we?" He didn't wait for her answer and entered the room. He looked around and whistled quietly at the sight. The room was quite spacious, with a big king size bed with small cabinets at each side, a comfortable settee on the other side, big writing desk with a comfortable looking chair in front of it. In extension of the desk there was a small cabinet, which obviously hid a fridge and on the other side there was another cabinet with drawers. At the settee there was a nice wooden club table and a beautiful lamp, throwing a discreet light over the sitting area. The floor was covered with thick and soft flooring and the far wall was partially covered with thick drapes which were parted in the middle to left open the door to the balcony. Unfortunately it was already dark, so he couldn't see the view, but he suspected it would be a nice one. The whole room was looking warm and friendly, the furniture was almost new and it looked cozy. Some nice paintings on the walls completed the picture. He turned around and looked into the bathroom too, just to find it was completely equipped with everything a guest might want and it also looked new. He grinned as he saw that the bathroom was in light purple color. _Cameron will definitely like the bathroom._ Then he turned to Cameron and grinned wider: "I like it. We made a good choice with this hotel."

Cameron nodded and gave him a ghost smile: "Sure. It's one of the best hotels here, so it's not exactly surprising that the room is well furnished and comfortable. It also is very suitable to control the surroundings. We are overlooking the park and the view to the mountains is quite impressive, although it doesn't influence the security. But I guess you'll like it." She smiled at him a little wider

John gaped at her: "How … how do you know this?" Then it hit him: "Right! Night vision!"

Cameron grinned at him and nodded. Then she pushed herself past him and their bodies brushed lightly for a second, bringing a signal red color into John's cheeks. "Ahem … what are you doing, Cam?"

She looked at him innocently and slightly perplexed: "I'd like to enter the room to unpack. Was it a wrong thing to do? Should I have waited outside?"

John coughed: "No, it's just that you … Well, never mind." He decided not to reveal his thoughts to her. Not yet. "You're right. We should unpack. Mom's expecting us in the lobby in …" he looked at his watch "… twenty minutes."

Cameron smiled at him: "Correct. We shouldn't be late. We upset her enough for one day. I don't believe Sarah Connor would be willing to forgive us another breach of her rules and demands."

John grinned back and nodded: "Absolutely. I wouldn't want to challenge our luck any more. Let's unpack and get back down before she goes all ballistic."

TBC


	5. Best Laid Plans

_Here's the next piece of the story. For those, who thought Sarah gave up too fast and too easy ... read this chapter. For those, who thought Derek was being too soft ... read this chapter. For those, who are waiting for Cam and John coming together ... read this chapter and wait. I'm evil, ain't I?_

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**Chapter 5 – Best Laid Plans …**

Cameron put her bag on the bed and started to pull out her clothes to stow them into the closet which stood at the entrance door and which they just passed. She folded them carefully on the bed to prepare them for stowing in the closet. "Which side of the closet would you like to use?" She looked at John questioningly, only now really noticing, that he still stood at the door from the hallway and looked at her interested. "What? Am I doing something wrong? Do I look like a freak?" She suddenly appeared worried and looked down at herself. In the morning she didn't really think of what to wear, so she put on a tight, very tight, purple T shirt, underlining her exquisite curves, her favorite purple jacket, very short black mini skirt, which John thought was the shortest mini skirt ever made, black thick stockings and her favorite combat boots. She lifted her eyes back to John and looked at him even more confused.

John grinned, stepped over to her and put his hand on her shoulder: "No, Cam, you're looking great and you haven't done anything wrong. I'm just glad that we are finally here, taking a vacation. With you." He stepped around the bed to the other side and threw his bag on it too. "I don't really care which side of the closet I get. You chose one."

Cameron still looked at him a little perplexed, although her lips were curved into small smile upon hearing his words. "Why would you want me to choose my side?"

"Because you're a girl and girls should have priority in choosing such things." John smiled at her.

"I am not."

Now it was John's turn to look perplexed: "What are you not?"

"A girl."

"Huh?" John's eyebrows were knitted together but suddenly a proverbial light bulb over his head went on and his face relaxed: "Oh, sorry. Well, you may not be a human girl, but you are still a girl. OK, a cybernetic girl, but a girl nonetheless! At least you are one for me." He suddenly blushed. "And a very beautiful one too …" he trailed off, looking at her longingly.

Cameron felt not warm but hot inside and she couldn't help but smile widely at John. _He sees me as a girl. And he said I am beautiful. _"John, I am a cybernetic organism. Living tissue over metal endoskeleton. For most people I don't qualify as a human being."

"But you do for me. Absolutely!" John objected determined and looked at her with interest: "Cam, are you blushing?"

"I am not."

"Oh, for God's sake, stop using that phrase, Cam! And yes, you are blushing! Just look in the mirror."

Cameron touched her cheek and felt that it was warmer than normally so she turned to look at the mirror over the writing desk. She gasped as she looked at her rosy cheeks reflecting in the mirror. "I really am! But … how?" She looked at John with eyes wide as saucers.

"You're obviously much more human than you think you are." John answered earnestly and stepped around the bed to her. He stopped few inches apart from her and looked into her eyes, gazing at him with an expression he never saw in them before. They looked like mountain lakes on a clear day, just in brown instead of blue. Longing, devotion, expectation and more … he could see all these emotions in them. _Just to think that only few days ago I was absolutely sure that she has no emotions. Just look at her, just look into these beautiful, expressive eyes. If anyone has emotions it's her._ His gaze turned to her full lips, slightly parted as in anticipation of a kiss and he had a really hard time fighting his urge to claim them with his own. Instead, he put his hands on her shoulders: "Cam, you're more human than many humans I know. Don't ever allow anyone telling you differently, not even me. Should I ever say a rough word to you again, should I ever again treat you as bad as I did, just kick me … you know where." He pulled her into embrace and began to slowly caress the small of her back. He felt how she hesitantly rose her arms too to return his embrace and her slender hands began to gently circle his back.

They stayed hugged for a minute, enjoying the closeness, forgetting that just few days ago they were on non-speaking terms, forgetting that John fought his affection for her with every fiber of his being for many months. They both closed their eyes and let themselves be lost in a moment. There were so few happy moments in their lives and they held to this one like to a lifeline. Cameron slowly leaned her head against his shoulder and felt inexplicably happy to be so close to him.

After a minute, John reluctantly let go of her and felt that she slightly opposed him and held him a little tighter for another second before she let go. He put his hands on her shoulders again, feeling her hands sliding to his waist and remaining there. Still not saying a word, he looked into her eyes and suddenly felt a little awkward. Awkward, but happy. He could see it in her eyes that she enjoyed this moment of intimacy too, feeling quite disappointed that this intimate moment ended so soon.

He cleared his throat: "Ahem, Cam … I'm sorry … I didn't want to scare you. I was just…"

He was silenced by her finger, which she tenderly laid on his lips while smiling gently at him: "Shhh. Don't John. Just don't. Let me enjoy this moment a little longer. And … you didn't scare me. In fact … I … I liked it very much. Really." She suddenly blushed and removed her finger: "Am I being too insistent?"

John shook his head vigorously, still feeling as his lips were burning in the pleasant fire where her finger had been just a second before and missing the gentle touch: "Absolutely not Cam. I enjoyed it too. I wish … I wish …" His voice broke down and he gulped. "Time to go."

Cameron nodded. She knew what John was talking about. If they wanted to meet Sarah in the lobby on time, they should be going. Reluctantly she took her hands from his waist and felt his hands leave her shoulders while looking at his eyes and seeing that he was just as unwilling to let her go as she was. After he removed his hands she felt a sudden feeling of loss and irrational wish he would put them back. She made a step backwards, but couldn't completely hide the expression of longing. "Let's go. We'll finish unpacking later."

John nodded and reluctantly stepped to the door. After one step, he stopped and stretched his hand towards Cameron, who was more than willing to take it and they left their room, walking side by side, their bodies touching every now and then. But this time it seemed that they both enjoyed the small touches.

Sarah and Derek ascended the steps in heavy silence, each lost in their own thoughts, which, what a coincidence, were almost the same. They all revolved around John and Cameron.

After they reached the room, Derek let Sarah enter first and as he closed the door behind them, he tossed his bag forcefully in a corner, not taking a single look around. "Are you now ready to listen to me Sarah?"

Sarah let her bag fall to the floor and stared into Derek's angry eyes with equal amount of fury in hers too: "Why would I listen to you, Derek? You seem to hate everything that even in the slightest deviates from your prejudices. I don't like her being around John any more than you, but she's still the best protector he ever had."

"It, Sarah, IT! Not her!" cut her Derek off with disguise in his eyes.

Sarah looked at him: "I don't care what you think, but to John she's a SHE and that's how it's going to be. John's best interests are what we both should take care of. If we don't agree with him we can try to reason him, but we can never, _never_, force him into doing something he doesn't want to do. We'll lose him that way. You can hold to your principles, but in that case, be prepared to have many fights with him. And in these fights I won't be siding with you, no matter what I think of her!" Her voice was rising while she talked and in the end she was almost yelling at him.

Derek gazed back at her and grunted. He already opened his mouth to express his protest, but Sarah lifted her forefinger to show him he should stay quiet. After he unwillingly gave up on protesting, she said: "As I said, I don't like her being so close to my son. But I don't want her to leave him to his faith either. We should find a way how to keep them apart and yet allow her to be his protector. I just don't want her to become some kind of a girlfriend."

"What do you mean … girlfriend? John would never …" Derek was genuinely surprised.

"Men! You really don't see anything. Blind as a mole!" Snorted Sarah dismissively. "He's more than just little infatuated with her. If she plays her cards well, they'll be sleeping together before this vacation is over." Disguise was dripping from Sarah's voice. "And John wouldn't have a single word to object. In fact, he'd be glad!" She paused for a second: "And them, being or even sleeping together is something I definitely cannot allow to happen! Definitely not!"

"Well, I hate to admit it, but she really looks attractive. If she were a human girl, someone would be fool not to go there."

"DEREK! Stop that! She's a terminator! A metal! A killer and not a girl!" Sarah rose her voice considerably and cast Derek an unbelieving look.

"As if I wouldn't know it! It's you, who obviously forgets it sometimes." Derek grunted. "You're right; we should find a way to prevent them from coming together. If it were my decision to make, I'd burn it … her. I have a pack of thermite with me. Just for a case …" He offered with a tiny smirk.

"Don't even think of it, Reese. As much as I would like it, I know that John would never forgive anyone of us, should anything happen to Cameron." Sarah suddenly sank to the bed. "Derek, I'm afraid of losing him. If we do anything to Cameron, he'd turn away from me. I know him, damn, he's my son, and I'm absolutely sure he'd abandon us both in a heartbeat, should we harm her. He's even more stubborn than me. We must find a way to separate them and keep them separated without harming anyone." She sighed defeated and hung her head.

Derek remained silent for few seconds and looked like he was in deep thoughts. Suddenly he lifted his head: "We should find someone to stop their relationship from coming into life. Like Riley succeeded for a while. A nice, human girl for John and if that might not be enough, also someone for the metal too, to separate them and keep them separated."

Sarah sighed: "The idea is not all that bad. There's just one problem: I'm definitely sure tin miss wouldn't accept anyone else apart from John. We'll simply have to concentrate on finding a suitable girl for John and make him fall for her. I just don't know where you're going to find someone."

Derek chuckled: "Look around, Sarah! We're in a ski resort in the middle of the season. I don't doubt there are many nice young girls and boys, who would be interested in your son and his protector."

"We just have to be very careful. If John or Cameron ever find out about this … "Sarah left the thought unfinished, knowing that Derek understood very well what she meant. She sighed again and shook her head: "It's time to go down. We should discuss what to do tomorrow." She paused. "And see if there are any nice young people around."

Derek grinned and nodded.

John and Cameron were the first to come to the lobby and looked around for Sarah and Derek. Their hands were still intertwined and it was obvious that no one was willing to let go of the other. "Good! We're not late, but if mom doesn't appear in time …" John began, but was stopped in surprise as he felt Cameron letting go of his hand abruptly. He turned to her with raised eyebrows: "Why …" Again he wasn't able to finish his question as Cameron tilted her head in the direction of the stairs and showed him with the eyes he should look in the direction. He obeyed her and saw Sarah and Derek arriving. He sighed and whispered: "Thank you, Cam." He still wasn't prepared to admit to the others that he was falling hopelessly for Cameron. Especially not to his mother, who was waiting like a hawk for a chance to prove Cameron dangerous or incompetent. Hell, he even had problems with admitting it to himself.

"Ah, there you are!" Sarah exclaimed a little too cheerfully for John's taste. He tilted his head towards Cameron and whispered: "Something's not right. She's too friendly. Be careful." Cameron nodded, noticing herself too, that Sarah and Derek looked to be in a very good mood, but it somehow felt wrong, especially after all the fights they had during the journey and especially after arriving to the hotel.

As they approached, Sarah suggested: "Why don't we go to the bar to sit down, have a drink and discuss what we're going to do tomorrow?" She looked at everyone and saw that no one had any objections to her proposal, so she turned towards the entrance to the bar and strolled towards it.

They found a nice table at the wall, with good possibility to control their surroundings and sat down. Even Cameron obviously approved of the table choice, for a tiny smile played around her lips. Or was it perhaps because she sat very close to John? Who would ever be wise enough to decipher this enigma named Cameron Phillips? John was the only one who was hoping to really understand her one day, but at this moment he wouldn't admit this wish openly … not even to himself. Not yet!

The waiter raced towards them the second they sat down, so they had to order before they could start the discussion. Everyone ordered something, only Cameron couldn't decide if she should drink something or not. After a short hesitation she ordered a small coke. "I had no idea you liked coke?" John was surprised that she actually decided to drink something. She smiled a little at him: "I don't need to drink, but I like the bubbles. And the taste is pleasurable." John grinned back and nodded. Then he turned to his mother. "So, mom, I think tomorrow we should do what we came here for, namely go snowboarding."

"I agree, but you should both take a course first! I don't want to risk any broken legs or any other injuries. I guess you can't break any bones or whatever you have inside?" Sarah looked in Cameron's direction.

Cameron shook her head, frowned slightly, but didn't answer directly. "We have to get some clothes first. We don't have anything to wear on the slope." She looked at John, who nodded. "Yeah, she's right mom. Maybe we could go out tonight to find something. There are lots of stores still open at this time."

They all made a short pause, because the waiter brought them their drinks. After he served them all, he asked in general direction of the older two: "Should I charge the room, or are you going to pay separately?"

"Just charge it on the room. The number is 223." Answered Sarah. The waiter nodded, wrote the number down and handed the slip to Sarah to sign it. After she did it, he gave her a copy. "I wish you all a pleasant evening! Should you have any wishes, just call me." And he was away, before they could answer.

"Where were we? Ah yes, the clothes. Well, John, I really had no idea this vacation was going to get so costly." Mocked Sarah not exactly serious. She knew as well that neither of them had any suitable clothes for sport activities in the snow. "However, I'm not going to try any of sports involving snow, so I don't need any new clothes."

"And neither do I." Derek smelled his opportunity to get out of the whole affair. "I'm not going out on the slope, no matter what." He underlined his statement by drawing a horizontal line in the air with his finger.

John expected something like that and he just grinned ironically at Derek: "Who's the baby now, Derek?" Then he turned to Cameron, before Derek could reply to his question: "Well; that leaves us two to get some clothes. Shall we go immediately?"

Cameron showed at her coke with her head: "As soon as I finish my drink." She craned her neck to look into John's cup of coffee: "And you haven't finished your coffee either."

John grinned and nodded: "Sure, as soon as we're finished, we'll be off to find a store." He turned to Sarah: "Would you like to come with us?"

Sarah shook her head: "Not really. I've been shopping for clothes with tin miss once and it's an experience I wouldn't want to repeat any time soon."

John turned to Cameron, who was glaring into Sarah's direction, clearly annoyed: "What did you do to make mom decide not to want going shopping with you again?"

Cameron turned her eyes to John and answered with a little pout: "Nothing important. I just didn't appreciate the clothes Sarah selected for me and she didn't approve of my choice."

John grinned and nodded: "I get a picture then. You two have a very different taste and it would be a small wonder should you agree upon clothing style. Although … you do dress very much alike, you know."

This time it was John's turn to be glared at. Cameron was clearly annoyed and she answered coldly: "No, I don't know. And no, we do not dress similarly. Sarah never wears mittens and she has no purple jacket! And she definitely doesn't wear mini skirts." She lifted her chin defiantly to underline her indignation and turned away from John, grabbed her coke and put the straw in her mouth, signaling that the discussion is over for her.

John looked a little surprised, for a second fighting the urge to laugh at Cameron's outburst, because he really didn't expect such reaction, especially not such a glare. Winning over his urge, he gently touched her arm: "Sorry if I said something wrong Cameron, but I really think that clothing styles of you two are a bit alike. You both prefer dressing like killer queens." He chuckled a bit at his comparison.

Cameron ignored his pathetic attempt to apologize and continued to audibly suck her coke, while concentrating on the straw completely. But she didn't shrug his hand off and it gave John hope that she was just teasing him.

Derek rolled his eyes and exclaimed annoyed: "You gotta be kidding me! What's wrong with it … her now? I don't believe it! Is she offended now? Terminators don't get offended, they just kill!"

John cast him a dark look: "Derek, please … SHUT UP!" Then he turned back to Cameron: "Shall we go now, Cam?"

Upon hearing her nickname again, Cameron's lips turned slightly upwards and she suddenly couldn't sulk anymore. She turned her eyes sideways to look at John, straw still in her mouth and nodded with smiling eyes.

John sighed relieved and stood up: "I think there's a nice sports equipment store quite near. At least I've seen some signs as we came." Then he turned to Sarah: "We'll be back soon. But don't wait for us. If we don't meet anymore today, we should meet tomorrow at breakfast at … let's say about 8 o'clock?"

Sarah nodded. She didn't want John to know that she and Derek would be following them, as they agreed before leaving their room. They were definitely going to work on the realization of the plan to keep John and Cameron apart. She did feel a little pang of guilt at this thought, but tried hurriedly to persuade herself that it was only for John's benefit. Still … somehow the guilt didn't want to go away as she wanted and expected it to.

Cameron was finally finished with her coke, so she put the cup on the table and stood up, joining John. Without spending a look at Sarah and Derek, she turned and followed John, who already started towards the exit.

TBC


	6. Black Clouds Gathering

_Thanks for your reviews. I'm glad that you like the story so far. Hopefully I won't disappoint you with next chapters. The end is still a very, very long way ahead and John & Cam are going to enjoy the vacation (sometimes more, sometimes less). I don't know if it will be the same for Sarah and Derek, but ..._

_Would you like to go shopping for clothes with a terminator? OK, if it's really necessary. How about shopping with a self aware, female terminator? Gee, that's a tough question. And, to deliver a final blow ... what about shopping with a self aware teenage female terminator with specific taste? NO! But John has to .. and this is how he's holding._

_Two original characters are being introduced in this chapter, who will have quite an important part in this story._

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**Chapter 6 - Black Clouds Gathering**

The store was really quite close to the hotel, just few hundred meters away. It was now even colder than it was when they arrived and as they entered the store, John was freezing. He looked at Cameron, who seemed unimpressed by the cold: "Aren't you cold? Can't you feel it?"

Cameron looked at him frowning: "I can feel the cold, but it doesn't affect me like it does you. I can raise my body temperature to compensate for the loss of body heat due to low ambient temperature."

John grinned: "What a way to say that you're not cold. Cam, you really should learn not to talk in such high technology language, but to use simple words and phrases, as humans do instead. Not that I wouldn't find it cute though."

Cameron frowned as John began talking, but smiled as he finished. She nodded to him: "I'll try. But it's me; it's who and what I am."

John smiled and took her hand: "Never mind, I know that's you and I wouldn't want you any other way. Now … let's find some nice clothes for you to wear." He dragged her towards department with snowboarder clothing and equipment, which he spotted right from the entrance to the store. He looked around to find some nice girlish stuff and suddenly his face exploded in a smile, as he noticed that there was a huge selection of nice clothes for girls. But it wasn't because he saw so many clothes that made him smile, but the fact, that there were many purple items. He turned to Cameron and grinned at her, just to see how her eyes slightly widened and began to sparkle as she noticed all the purple clothing. A small smile played around her lips and suddenly she quickened her pace so that she began to tug at his hand to reach the Eldorado of clothing as soon as possible, almost bouncing in anticipation.

"I knew we'd find something nice for you!" John was as happy as he could be, as he noticed Cameron's anxiety and anticipation upon seeing so many nice things in her favorite color. She didn't answer him, but dropped his hand and began to rummage through the stand. Then she suddenly stopped and looked at John: "John? What do I need to get? Pants and jacket? Anything else?"

John grabbed a nice purple ski jacket and scrutinized it while answering without really hearing her question: "Yeah, sure." Then he shook his head slightly, remembering her inquiry and turned to look into Cameron's questioning eyes: "But you also need a nice pullover, gloves, cap, ski goggles and a scarf. I wouldn't want you to feel cold on the slope. And I want you to take everyone's breath away."

Cameron smiled thankfully at him and turned back to the stand. But before she could start her rummaging again, John pushed the jacket he had in hands in front of her: "What about this?"

She scrutinized it carefully and thoroughly, taking it into her hands, turning it over a few times and finally shook her head: "No, I don't like it. It's not tight." And she returned to her newest favorite occupation – thoroughly checking everything on the clothes stand.

John gaped at her with slightly opened mouth and confused eyes. _I guess that's how she was out shopping with my mom. She really has a specific taste of her own, not to forget the stubbornness, which she has in abundance. I am stubborn but she beats me anytime._ Then he smiled slightly, returned the jacket to the stand and began searching for something else.

After about ten minutes and five additional dismissals of his choice by Cameron, he began to understand his mom's reluctance to go shopping with Cameron ever again. Just as he was about to make a poisonous remark, she tugged resolutely at one hanger and pulled out a slim cut light purple colored jacket with white faux fur around the cape. Her eyes glittered victoriously and she smiled happily as she scrutinized it and showed it proudly to John: "This one!"

John looked at it and found it nice, but he was still a little pissed off because nothing he found was acceptable for her, so he restrained himself to nodding his approval: "What does it look like on you?"

Cameron quickly pushed the hanger with the jacket into his hands and before he could even react, took her own jacket off. Now she was standing in front of him only in her T shirt, which was probably cut out with intention to barely cover anything at all and to specifically stress her perfect breasts. John gasped lightly as he saw the skin tight piece of clothing, revealing a good deal of cleavage and upon seeing her perfect silky looking skin. "It's not polite to stare!" She admonished him with a small smile, but her voice carried an unmistakable note of mischievousness in it. John snapped back into reality and offered her the ski jacket she chose while trying to somehow camouflage his blushing cheeks.

After Cameron put on the jacket, zip it up and put up the cape, John couldn't help but stare at her. The jacket was exactly the right size, the right shape and the right color. If she'd had it tailor made it couldn't fit her better. "You …" he swallowed "… you look beautiful Cam. Like a princess. A true snow princess." And true it was. The jacket was such a perfect fit, that it showed every attribute of her perfect body, but at the same time covering her completely. The cape with its white fur edge, now filled with the full waterfall of her auburn hair, only underlined her tender face and her huge brown eyes, gazing at him with unmistakable note of adoration. "Yes," John nodded resolutely, "You are a snow princess. My snow princess." Suddenly he bowed towards her and gave her a quick peck on the cheek, brushing the cape slightly away.

Cameron smiled at him shyly. She saw the effect she had on John and was more than satisfied with her choice of the jacket. "So … you like it?" She looked at him coquettish with slightly tilted head and turned around to give him a good look at her. After the turn she gazed at him with slightly tilted head and expectant eyes.

"Oh yes, I like you … I mean, I like it a lot." John slipped and his face turned slightly red. Then he hastily added: "We should find appropriate pants and everything else to complete your wardrobe."

Cameron was content that she made such a good choice and began to look for the suitable pants. It didn't take her long to find white ones, the same shade as the fur on the cape of her jacket and showed it to John: "Do you think these would be right?" Needless to say that they were also a slim cut piece of clothing which would only fit someone with a perfect figure like her.

John cast a quick glance at the pants and nodded vigorously, in his mind already imagining how she would look like in it. "Sure, they're great. Why don't you try them on?" He motioned towards the changing cubicles.

Cameron nodded and turned towards the cubicles while looking at John: "Are you coming with me, please?"

John nodded and followed her, not trusting his voice to successfully hide what was going on in his mind right now.

She immediately found one free cubicle and got in to try the pants on. John was patiently waiting outside, being just a little nervous in anticipation, but sweeping his surroundings nevertheless. Old habit, but it did have its advantages to always know what was going on in his near vicinity.

"I think you look quite dashing in this overall Andrea." A voice from nearby suddenly disturbed John's train of thoughts. He turned to see a young blonde man, about his age and statue, standing in front of one of the cubicles and looking at the blonde girl probably as old as him, who has just stepped out and turned herself around in front of him. He gulped subconsciously. The girl looked a bit like Riley. _I hope Cameron doesn't come out right now. I don't think she'd be too pleased to see someone like Riley._

"Are you sure? Don't I look too fat in it?" She asked with questioning voice and looked into the young man's eyes. John sighed a bit relieved. At least her voice was nothing like Riley's.

"Absolutely not! Just get in and change back into your clothes, so we can buy this one." Impatience in man's voice was unmistakably there. After the girl hesitantly returned into her cubicle, he looked in John's direction to see that he was looking at him. He shrugged and quietly mouthed: "Women!"

John grinned at him, remembering in that instant how Cameron rejected everything he offered her before and nodded. "Exactly. You can't do anything good if they decide that they don't want to listen to your advice or your suggestions."

The man grinned back: "Sure. And then they complain that you're doing it all wrong, that you don't pay attention, that you show no interest. And so on for the next half an hour."

John was happy to find a related soul in this store and quickly showed with his head towards the cubicle where Cameron was trying the new pants on: "Yeah. The same here."

The man's grin widened: "My condolences. By the way, I'm Tim."

"John." He was cut off by the opening of the cubicle door and he saw Cameron, exiting with a frown on her face: "John? Who are you talking with? And why do you complain about my rejection of the stuff you offered me?"

John froze for a second. _I forgot that her hearing is way better than human. Gee, I'll have to be more careful what I say around her! She obviously learned to read between the lines too._ "Oh, Cam, you know how it is. We men have to complain about something." Then he finally looked at her: "Cam, you look fantastic. You couldn't have found anything better than this!"

Cameron looked at him puzzled, but saw nothing but sincerity in his face. Her face brightened, but before she could answer, she heard a voice: "He's right, you know. You look really fantastic."

She frowned again and turned towards the young man, who gave her the compliment: "And you would be?"

"Tim. I'm the one who lured John into ranting about having to accompany the girls at shopping." Before he could continue, the door to the cubicle he was standing in front of opened and a girl, who talked to him before exited and cast a questioning look at the man, then at Cameron and finally at John. The man smiled: "And this is my twin sister, Andrea."

Cameron's eyes widened slightly as she saw the girl and looked at both suspiciously. John noticed it and gently put his hand on her arm: "Relax Cam. They're just making conversation." She turned to him and whispered: "I don't trust them John. She looks like Riley!" He shook his head and gave her a pleading look before turning to Tim: "Glad to meet you. As I already told you, I'm John and this is my … friend, Cameron."

It was obvious that Cameron didn't exactly approve of this introduction but didn't want to object John in public. She looked into his face and noticed that he looked happier than in a long time. _He really misses friends. It's lonely to be John Connor. If he wants, I'll play along but I'll keep an eye on these two. This blonde is too similar to Riley._ Memories of the time when John was pushing her away and embracing Riley's companionship resurfaced and she felt really uncomfortable. But being a terminator sometimes does have its advantages and in the next instant she smiled towards Andrea and Tim: "Hi. Are you staying here for a vacation or are you just passing through?"

John was visibly surprised at sudden change of mood that Cameron showed and looked at her with slightly opened mouth, just to see her smiling friendly at the two. _Who could understand her? One moment she's openly hostile and in a split second she turns into a sweet, friendly girl. But I love her just the way she is, exactly the way she is._

Tim smiled back and looked at Cameron apprehensively: "We just arrived today and are staying for a week. What about you?"

Before Cameron could answer, John jumped in: "The same as you. We arrived one hour ago. But, as we have no suitable clothing, we had to go shopping immediately. Where do you come from?"

Andrea smiled at him: "It looks like we all have the same problem. We had no suitable clothes either. No wonder, we are from San Diego." She turned eyes and grinned widely: "You could hardly expect us to have winter clothing in the closet. And where are you two from?"

"We're from …" John began, but was cut off by Cameron "… Prescott." Cameron smiled sweetly at him. He quickly regained his balance and continued: "So it's a bit of a new terrain to be here in snow for us too."

Tim just couldn't tear his eyes off Cameron and Andrea looked at John with obvious interest in her pale blue eyes. Cameron noticed it and felt something stirring inside her. Something she hadn't felt since Riley shared John's days. But now she knew what it was: jealousy. She looked at Andrea and decided she would prevent her from getting her claws into John at any cost. She will never again allow some girl to hit on John like Riley tried and almost succeeded. Now she knew how to defend her John from greedy girls and she would do everything to keep him. _Funny. I don't even have him yet and here I am, thinking of how to prevent another girl to get too close to him._ Little did she know that John shared the same feeling as he noticed the way Tim was looking at her. And still, regardless of the looks the both true siblings gave them, he wanted to spend some time with them. It would definitely be more fun to have some friends of the same age than to be forced to spend the vacation with paranoid uncle and mom.

"You know what? I suggest we buy everything we need and afterwards we could go for a drink. There's a nice little pub just around the corner. We are all alone here and have no one to talk to. And you know how it is, having only a sibling to talk to …" Tim grinned while Andrea gave him a playful punch in his arm.

"Yeah, why not. It could be fun." John's voice was not exactly thrilled but he was still clearly interested in having someone to talk to. "I guess we could meet at the entrance when we're finished. I really have no idea how long it will take us to get everything. Cameron already has found something, but I still haven't got anything."

"Right. We'll meet there. Whoever finishes as first, waits for the other two." Tim nodded and turned back to his sister. He took the overall from her hands and they left John and Cameron.

Cameron looked after them and when they turned around a clothing stand, she turned to John: "John, I'm not thrilled about them. They seem nice, but …"

John nodded: "I know, I know. And Andrea looks a bit like Riley. But look at it from the bright side. We're here for a week and we could use some company. And I'm sure you'll be looking at them like a hawk. Or mother hen."

Cameron frowned at him: "I'm no hawk and no hen. But I will be watching them." She made a little pause and blurted without thinking: "I don't like the way this Andrea looks at you." Her eyes widened slightly at hearing her own words. _I can't believe I really said it. I could have just as well told him directly that I love him. Yes, I do. I do love him._

John looked surprised too, but answered swiftly: "And I don't like the way Tim's looking at you!"

Cameron's eyes widened even further as she heard him and turned to gaze into his green ones. Her face suddenly took that longing expression that made John go weak in his knees again. But she quickly regained self-control again: "So, John. Do you think that I should buy these pants?" This was neither place nor time to discuss her feelings for him. Maybe later in their room. Or tomorrow. Or never … Everything depended on his feelings for her.

John nodded, thankful for her change of subject: "Absolutely. You'll look adorable in this outfit. I guess I'll have to chase away the would-be boyfriends tomorrow as you appear on the slope." He winked conspiratorially.

Cameron was once again shocked to hear his statement and looked at him with huge eyes, before she managed to tilt her head and ask, while in her eyes confusion but also a strong note of mischievousness could be seen: "Why would you want to chase them away?"

John blushed, noticing that he fell into a self-dug hole and tried frantically to find a way out: "Because I need you by my side. And if you'd have a boyfriend, you couldn't protect me and be with me." He knew that it was less than convincing but it was the only excuse he could come up with at this moment.

Cameron grinned at him slyly, knowing very well that he didn't tell her the whole truth. Sure, he was telling her the truth, just not the whole truth. There was more to it, much more and she was determined to find out just how much he was emotionally attached to her. But for now she gave herself satisfied with his explanation and just nodded. _Maybe he feels something for me too? Maybe he loves me? Can he love a machine?_

John inhaled deeply, knowing that he hadn't convinced her, but being satisfied that she didn't push it further: "So, we have to find you some other things too. And I have to find something to at least partially look decent enough to accompany my snow princess."

Cameron nodded: "I'll just change back into my attire and then we'll go find everything else." She turned and disappeared in the changing cubicle again.

It took them about half an hour to get everything they needed together. Besides the already chosen jacket and pants, Cameron selected a nice white pullover, warm gloves, a multicolored tasseled cap and a purple scarf, which was colorfully expanding the jacket and the cap. John got a light brown combination of pants and jacket, a suitable cap and gloves. Everything suited perfectly together, what was no wonder, since Cameron chose the colors and took care that he didn't chose a rag tag ensemble of various clothes in clashing colors. They chose also ski goggles … identical for both of them.

John grinned at Cameron: "Tomorrow everyone's going to envy me."

Cameron looked at him slightly confused: "Why would they envy you?"

"Because I'll be in your company; in the company of the most beautiful girl on the slope."

Cameron was slowly getting used to this new John, who openly showed his affection for her, but was still slightly taken aback by his statement. She hooked her hand with his and smiled longingly at him: "And I'll be in company of the most breathtaking boy." She completely forgot to object the "girl" issue.

John grinned foolishly and turned to the cashiers: "We should go and pay for the stuff."

Cameron nodded happily and followed him.

After they paid for everything, they saw that Andrea and Tim were already waiting for them at the entrance, each carrying a large bag. It was obvious that they too had bought a lot of things and undoubtedly made the store keeper happy.

As they joined their new friends, Cameron thoroughly checked their surroundings for possible threats but found none. For an instant she believed to have seen a familiar figure in the shadows across the road, but it vanished so quickly that she wasn't able to confirm if it was really someone familiar or not, so she dismissed it for a time being and concentrated on discovering more imminent threats. She determined, there were no and felt satisfied. Meanwhile John cleared with Andrea and Tim that the pub he mentioned before, really wasn't far away, perhaps 220 yards down the road in the opposite direction of their hotel.

After arriving at the pub, they found a nice unoccupied table in the separate booth with benches on three sides and two chairs on the fourth side and decided to sit there. Before they chose it, John cast a quick glance at Cameron who nodded slightly, approving of their choice. He was also the first one to take a seat on the bench and Cameron hurried to take a place right next to him. Unfortunately she didn't consider Tim and left enough space on the bench on her other side for him to squeeze himself next to her, while Andrea purposefully chose her seat on John's other side. Cameron kept her poker face and just her eyes revealed that she wasn't exactly thrilled to sit so close to a stranger, who was obviously trying to hit on her. And yet her annoyance could only be noticed by someone knowing her well. And John knew her well. As she brushed her arm against his, he turned to look at her and noticed her slight discomfort. He didn't want her to be in a bad mood, so he slightly leaned into her and whispered into her ear: "I know, Cam. I'll protect you from him." He grinned goofily at her and got a beautiful smile in return.

"So, what would you like to drink?" Tim was again the first to take the initiative.

After initial getting to know each other, the discussion became quite vivid and even Cameron took a significant part in it. Tim drifted a little away from her on the bench and he didn't make any more attempts, so she felt better. She, on the other hand, skidded a bit closer to John, to fee his warm body and was more than happy that it obviously didn't bother him and he didn't move away from her. Even her distrust in Andrea and Tim diminished slightly, as she saw that they were just ordinary teens, making a vacation on their parents' expenses. _Maybe they really could be friends John is so desperately looking for, at least for a week._

They sat there for about an hour, talking, laughing and bragging about the elders. After revealing their plans for tomorrow they also arranged to meet again the next day. Andrea and Tim were not exactly beginners in snowboarding, but they too wanted to take a course to learn how to do it right. So they decided to meet the next day at the hotel in which Cameron and John were staying, for Andrea and Tim had rooms in another hotel, and would have to pass the hotel the Connor company stayed at, on their way to the ski lift. After a little more than an hour, they decided that it would be time to return to their rooms to get some sleep, so they said their good-byes and went their separate ways.

Unbeknown to them, two dark figures emerged from the shadows across the street, shivering from cold and made themselves on the way after John and Cameron. They waited until the young couple turned around the corner and stepped into the light.

"I told you there would be enough suitable girls and boys here, Sarah." Shivered Derek. "We just have to get them separated from John and the tin can tomorrow and direct them into desired direction. That guy will have absolutely no objections to make advances on the metal. And the girl … I've seen how she looked at John. She's a good looking one and would be much better for him than the metal."

Sarah shook her head slightly: "You're right; they might be just the ones we're looking for. But I still have a bad feeling about it. If John ever finds out what we're plotting …" She shivered, but not only from cold. She knew John would never forgive her, should he ever find out that she was plotting to separate him from Cameron.

John and Cameron were walking towards their hotel as Cameron suddenly stopped, stiffened and abruptly turned around to look behind her. "Is something wrong Cam?" John stopped a step further from her, being carried by the inertia before he could react to her sudden stop.

"I don't know." Cameron's eyes swept the darkness and John thought that she must have changed to night vision. Then she turned to look into his eyes: "I thought there was someone behind us, but it's gone now. I must be malfunctioning."

John smiled tenderly and brought his hand to her cheek: "Cam, if there's something I'm sure of then it's the fact that there's absolutely nothing wrong with you. I trust you completely." After saying these words, he looked into her eyes and gasped for air: Her eyes were suddenly brimming with tears. She dropped the shopping bag, flung herself at him and hugged him tightly. "Thank you for believing in me John."

Before his brain or heart could tell him what to do, she let go of him, picked up the bag and turned to continue towards the hotel. John still stood there like rooted on the spot. _Way to go, man! She hugs you, thanks you and almost cries for believing in her and you? You stand here like a stone statue, instead of hugging her back. Idiot!_

TBC


	7. The Morning

_Thanks everyone again. It's a pleasure to write a story, which comes on. I just hope I won't have to hide in a hole after I've posted some bad chapter. Not that I intend to, but it could happen. LOL. OK, not really serious, but with planned (and already outlined) 28-30 chapters, it can easily happen that one or more of them will not fulfill the expectations. *shrugs*_

_Those of you, who expect John to finally jump over his own shadow after Cameron tearfully thanked him for believing in her … read this chapter. _

_And yes, Cameron is evolving ... very fast. Every now and then she discovers something new (especially to tease John) and this chapter is no exception._

_I hope you enjoy and if you have a sec … write down a review to tell me what you liked and what not._

* * *

**Chapter 7 - The Morning **

"Wake up John, it's time to go." Cameron's soft voice slowly penetrated John's foggy mind. Not really comprehending what she was saying, he slowly opened one eye, just to see her sitting on the edge of the bed with one leg curled under her and watching him curiously. Although he really hated when someone was watching him in his sleep, this time it definitely didn't bother him. He smiled at her groggily: "Hi Cam! What time is it?"

"It's half past seven and you told your mother yesterday we would meet her at 8.00 in the dining room. You should get up and get yourself ready." Cameron spoke in a soft, low voice while a small smile graced her full lips.

Suddenly John remembered how she fiercely hugged him yesterday while they were walking towards hotel from the pub. But he also remembered the awkward atmosphere when they returned into their room. Neither of them was really prepared to look the other in the eyes, they carefully avoided any direct contact, as if being afraid to get burnt. No one even mentioned her outburst and he had a feeling that she was ashamed of it, or at least she was completely confused as to how she should behave after showing him her affection so clearly. He didn't want to force her to talk about something what was obviously embarrassing for her, although her occasional looks at him revealed her insecurity, her hesitation but also longing. So he just let her slip out of the room to check the perimeter and, in spite of brooding over the event, fell asleep while she was absent, although he wanted to wait for her return to show her that he appreciated her emotional outburst. His sleep wasn't an easy one: he was plagued by nightmares. Nightmares involving Cameron, him and Cameron's death. He often had nightmares about terminators coming after him and killing him, but none of them was worse than this, in which Cameron vanished from his life forever. So he was more than happy when she woke him in the middle of the night and remembered how she looked at him worriedly and how cool and soothing her hand felt on his forehead. It was simply unbelievable how calming effect she had on him, how she managed to chase his nightmares away by just laying her small hand on his forehead, not even saying a single word.

He finally managed to open the other eye too and lifted his head to look through the window. Cameron obviously pulled the curtains aside and the sun was already rising behind the mountains, throwing its tender rays of light through the glass. He could feel the warmth on his face, closed his eyes and smiled contently.

"Why are you smiling John?" Cameron was intrigued by his behavior and was looking at him with tilted head and questioning smile on her lips.

He opened his eyes and smiled wider at her: "I'm just enjoying the warmth of the sun on my face." He inhaled deeply. "Just like I enjoyed your hand on my forehead in the night. Thank you for being there for me." His expression confirmed that he really meant what he said and it made Cameron smile wider. For a second she didn't know what to say, so she cast her look at her lap, but after a second she looked back at him.

"You were obviously having a nightmare. You were completely soaked in sweat and were trashing around. I'm glad that I could help you." She paused for a moment and continued with an insecure voice: "Would you like to talk about it? What were your nightmares?"

John suddenly felt like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck and stuttered: "Ahem … well … not really." _How can I tell you that every night I dream of loosing you and it makes me realize how much you mean to me? How can I tell you that I love you; that I don't want to go on without you? Would you understand me at all?_ "I'm sorry Cam, not right now. Maybe someday…"

Cameron let her head fall and nodded sadly: "I understand John. You don't want to talk to me. I'm just a machine and I don't understand human fears." She lifted her head again and looked at him with sad eyes: "Maybe you should talk to your mother. She knows a lot about nightmares." She rose from the bed: "You should shower John, you're starting to smell."

John's jaw fell upon hearing her self-loathing words. "NO CAM! It's not that! Absolutely not! You're much more than just a machine and you understand much more than you believe. It's just … I don't want to talk about these nightmares to anybody. At least not yet. But … if I'll ever want to talk about them, you'll be the first to whom I'll come with my problems. You … not my mom!" He grabbed her hand before she could walk away and looked at her pleadingly: "You've got to believe me Cam!"

Cameron felt a surge of happiness as he grabbed her hand and she scanned him without even thinking. Her scan revealed her that he was telling her the truth. He really would talk to her first. Sadness vanished from her eyes and she smiled softly at him: "OK John. But you still should shower before we go to the breakfast. I wasn't lying when I said you were starting to smell."

John was happy that she believed him and smiled at her: "You really mean that, don't you? That I'm starting to smell?"

Cameron just nodded with a smile and pulled him up from the bed. "Yes, I do!" She lead him to the bathroom door, opened it and shoved him inside: "I'll prepare your clothes while you shower." Before John could object, she closed the door and he could only smile at the now closed door. He shook his head in slight disbelief, took off his clothes and entered the shower. He opened the water and set it to quite hot. While he tilted his face upwards to feel the spray of hot water caressing it, he thought of Cameron, joining him in the shower, of her firm body, pressing against his back, of her slender arms, encircling his body … He shuddered and opened his eyes. _Jesus, I'm really starting to daydream. Wake up man! You're imagining things. Chill down!_

He concentrated on washing and after he was finished, he looked around to see what he could put on. He could hardly walk out of the bathroom without any clothes on. He spotted two fluffy white bathrobes, hanging beside the door, one small and one large. _Complimentary bathrobes! How nice!_ He dried himself and stepped out of the shower. After taking and putting on the larger bathrobe, he stepped out of the bathroom and stopped dead in tracks as he saw Cameron, wearing only the black version of the underwear which caused him so severe breathing problems just yesterday, rummaging through her clothes in the closet. "C … C … Cam?" he stuttered, swallowed and tried again: "What are you doing?"

Cameron turned to look at him with confused look: "I'm trying to find appropriate clothing for the breakfast. I have no idea what I should wear." She looked him up and down. Slowly. Deliberately slowly. "Nice bathrobe. You look dashing in it." She flashed him a smile and turned back to the closet.

John sighed heavily, trying desperately to look at anything else but Cameron's body and finding it impossible to look at anything else but at Cameron's body. _She's doing it deliberately! She's reverted to her Skynet programming again! She's going to kill me! She's going to kill me with her looks!_ He swallowed again and began to breathe deeply. "Ahem … Cam! I think you should put something on. You're … you're …" He found it impossible to talk further with his mouth feeling completely dry.

Cameron turned to him again and tilted her head in confusion. Her face looked to him like a giant question sign. "Is something wrong John? Do you find my body repulsive? Am I disturbing you?"

John shook his head. "No, Cam, you're beautiful and that's the problem. It's just that I can't concentrate with you near me, wearing only underwear."

Cameron's mouth slowly curved into an impish smile: "So, you think I'm beautiful?"

John managed only to nod and decided that it was high time to get away from the walking heart attack, standing in front of him, gazing at him with her brown eyes. He squeezed himself past Cameron into the room and as he was there, he sighed relieved but at the same time disappointed that he no longer had such a beautiful view. "Your clothes are on the bed." Cameron said behind him with amused voice. He didn't dare to turn around, knowing he'd stare at her perfect curves again, so he just choked out "Thanks!" and went to the bed. He saw, that she really prepared his clothes, all being neatly folded on his side of bed. Now, being in safe distance from her and not being forced to look at her curvaceous body, he began to breathe normally and finally managed to check what she prepared for him to wear. "Cam? Aren't we going snowboarding?"

"Yes, we are? Why are you asking?" Cameron's voice revealed her confusion.

"Because you prepared jeans and sweatshirt for me and not snowboarding clothes."

"Of course. I wouldn't want you to get your brand new snowboarding clothes dirty at breakfast. We'll return here to change after the breakfast." Her voice revealed that she thought it would be obvious why she prepared jeans for him and slight note of annoyance over his slowness was definitely recognizable. "I definitely don't want to risk any dirt on my white pants. How would I look in stained clothes?" She was clearly disgusted upon sheer thought of having her new clothes dirty.

John grinned at himself and decided that he should try to look at her again. So he turned and saw that she was standing at the closet, turned to look at him, one hand still in between the hangers, the other on her hip, but still wearing nothing but the sweet black undergarment and a big frown on her face. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But … if you want me to put these clothes on, I'd like you to dress similarly."

Cameron's face lit immediately: "I was just thinking the same. But thank you nevertheless, John." She breathed tenderly.

John suddenly felt as strong hands would constrict his throat again and managed only a nod. _She's seducing me! Oh Lord, I'm so doomed! I may not look at her! Absolutely not!_ Then he turned back hastily and took the clothes in his hands. He walked towards the bathroom again and as he was at the door, he met Cameron's curious eyes: "Where are you going John?"

"To change. I can't do it here … with you in the room." His red face revealed how he felt.

Cameron smirked evilly: "There's nothing you could possibly show me that I haven't seen before. But if you suddenly became too modest or too prude to change here in front of me … well, suit yourself." Her grin grew wider and she grabbed her jeans and a light blue T shirt to put them on. "However, I'll need to go to the bathroom too, so I suggest I go in there and you can change here in the room. I promise not to peek."

John's mouth fell open at her remark and he just nodded. _Oh dear, she's getting far too good at this humor. Where did she hide it before?_

Cameron saw that she achieved the desired effect and smiled self satisfied while she squeezed herself past John into the bathroom. It was a tight fit and she pressed herself deliberately closer to him than it was really necessary. Yes, she really enjoyed teasing him and seeing how her behavior, her body and her words affected him.

After another five minutes they were both ready to go to the dining room to take the breakfast. At leaving the room, John opened the door for her: "After you, my lady." He grinned at Cameron, who looked at him wide-eyed and smiled a little shakily. She still couldn't completely understand how John openly showed her that he cared for her. She simply loved this new caring John.

Sarah and Derek have already left their room, but before they began their descent to the ground floor, Sarah grasped Derek's sleeve: "Derek, don't you dare show or even say anything to John! If you reveal just a tiny bit of our plan, if you only hint that we're after something, I swear I'll kill you myself! Is that clear?"

"As if I would! I'm not a kid and I know very well what may and what may not be said." Derek snorted dismissively at Sarah.

They stopped at the entrance to the restaurant and scanned the guests in there. They didn't see John and Cameron, so Sarah decided to wait for them at the entrance. It didn't took too long before she saw them coming out of the elevator, smiling at each other and talking vividly. They didn't hold hands as she feared they would, but they did walk very close to each other, so that their hands brushed against each other with every step they took. Sarah's face darkened considerably at the sight but she suddenly felt a nudge under her ribs from Derek. She turned to look at him irritably. "Don't let them gain any suspicions, Sarah. You look like you'd be ready to drown the metal in a dry teaspoon." She realized Derek was right and forced herself to look friendly.

"Hi mom, we're on time, right?" John was obviously in a good mood today and he smiled widely at his mother. He cast a look into Derek's direction and his face darkened considerably: "Hi, Derek."

Sarah smiled back: "Absolutely. You're even two minutes early and that's something I should write down in my diary. If I would be writing one."

John grinned: "How was your night?" Without waiting for her answer, he turned to Cameron, who just greeted his mother warmer than usual. "Yesterday we managed to buy everything we need. And we even met two guys from San Diego, who'll come around later to make us company."

Sarah had to swallow not to reveal herself that it was no news to her what John told her: "Really? Don't you think it could be risky to befriend someone so fast?"

"We're not exactly friends; we just thought that we could spend some time together. Besides … Cameron is here to protect me fiercely from anyone and anything. Right Cam?" he grinned at Cameron.

"Absolutely John. I'll never let anything happen to you." She nodded at him and turned to look at Sarah: "I swear!"

Sarah coughed to cover her slight confusion and said: "Oh well, I guess you two know what you're doing. Shall we go and take breakfast?"

"Now that's what you should've said a long time ago!" exclaimed Derek and began to grin. "I'm starving!" He didn't wait for the others and entered the dining room with resolute steps.

John and Cameron just wanted to enter the room too, as Sarah grabbed John's arm and stopped him: "After the breakfast, we should talk, John. In private!" She looked at Cameron, who stopped to wait for John and looked at Sarah blankly.

John looked at her perplexed: "About what?"

"Oh, just a small mother to son talk." Sarah answered nonchalantly, hiding her tension perfectly. She was still hoping to persuade John not to pursue a relationship with Cameron without having to go through with Derek's plan. She had a bad feeling about the plan, they developed jointly.

John frowned: "Is that really necessary? I'd like to go to the slope as soon as possible. Besides, we said to Tim and Andrea that they should come around at 9.00." It was obvious that he was trying to avoid the talk with his mother at any price. He didn't know what she wanted to discuss with him, but he had a vague idea that it would probably involve him and Cameron and it was a subject, he definitely didn't want to discuss with her at this time.

"Yes, it is. It won't take you long. And tin miss can prepare herself in the meantime." Sarah remained unwavering. She definitely had to have this talk and she had to have it without Cameron around.

John sighed: "OK, if it really is that important, I guess we could sit down for five minutes. If it makes you happy…"

Sarah smiled a fake friendly smile: "Yes, it does. Now, go and have some breakfast." Then she turned to Cameron: "What are you going to do while John eats his breakfast?"

"I'm going to have my own breakfast, together with John." Cameron's face didn't reveal any emotions and she stared blankly at Sarah. "I _can_ eat, you know." She added, turned around and left a dumbfounded Sarah, standing in the doorway and gaping after the cyborg, who just told her she could eat, more or less pointing out that Sarah had no idea what she was capable of.

"You asked for it, mom." John couldn't help but smile slightly at his mother. He himself was a bit surprised at how Cameron countered his mother's attempts. _She's progressing not day by day, but hour by hour. Unbelievable! _He shook his head at Sarah and hurried after Cameron.

Sarah still stood there and stared after Cameron and John, who already caught up with the cyborg girl. _Did she really just tell me she's going to have breakfast? Together with John? I definitely must have this talk with my son._ She shook her head and finally entered the dining room too.

After John caught up with Cameron, he whispered in her ear: "Cam, don't overdo it with my mom, please. She's a bit jumpy when it comes to you and if you continue to defeat her in every discussion it won't be very good for your relationship."

Cameron stopped and looked at John with surprise: "Am I supposed to let myself be insulted? Are you suggesting that?"

John vehemently shook his head: "No, absolutely not! I'm just trying to tell you to be careful. My mom is sometimes reacting a bit irrational when it comes to machines in general and to you in specific and I wouldn't want you to get hurt in any way."

Cameron's expression lightened: "You care for me?"

John just nodded.

"Then I'll try to be a bit more reserved in my answers. But I won't let anyone more insult me for being what I am. I didn't choose this form of my existence; it was given to me and I will not allow anyone to judge me for what I am and not for who I am and what I do." Cameron's voice revealed her determination to fulfill her words, should the need arise.

John looked at her with open mouth. She just very clearly told him that she has her own will that she wants to be accepted as a person. "Cam, what's happening to you? You never expressed an attitude before. And now … now you're finally telling everyone that you are someone that you want to be considered." He smiled at her widely: "I love the new Cameron; Cameron, who wouldn't allow the others to treat on her."

Cameron was quite surprised even over her own words. She didn't really want to say what she just said, but the emotions got better of her, probably for the first time in her existence, and she said what she felt, not what her logic dictated her. After hearing John's words she slightly opened her mouth and looked at him with very confused eyes. But before she could say anything, John turned towards the counters, where food was waiting for hungry guests: "Come, Cam. Let's find something good to eat." He didn't wait for her answer and draw a beeline towards the counters.

Cameron stood there for a second with open mouth and gave John's back a glare. But she suppressed her slight annoyance at his action and followed him.

As she joined him at the counter, where he was trying to find something good, she admonished him: "You should take some fruit and vegetables. Considering that your body is still not fully developed it is of utmost importance that it's regularly provided with necessary intake of vitamins and minerals, therefore the fruit and vegetables would be the wisest choice."

John looked at her flabbergasted: "Are you kidding me? I should eat something like that for breakfast? No, my dear Cam, I'll go for …" He trailed off as he saw that she grinned evilly at him. "Oh yes, you are kidding me!" He grinned himself and shook his head in disbelief, how easy he fell for her subtle joke.

"Yes, I am kidding you, John. But I still advise you to take some fruit and vegetables. It's really the healthiest choice here." Her slightly evil grin turned into tender smile.

"I know, Cam. I will take some of them, but I'll also take something else."

"Pancakes?"

"Absolutely not! I won't even try pancakes as long as we're in this hotel. I'll get enough of them in burnt state after we return home." John's face showed clear disguise over idea he would have to eat pancakes even on vacation.

"But maybe they're not burnt, like you're used to. Perhaps you should at least try one to see, how pancakes taste when they're properly cooked." Cameron's smile turned back into evil smirk.

"Wait a minute! Did you just insult my mom's cooking skills? Haven't I told you to be careful only few second ago?" John worked hard to suppress laughter upon hearing Cameron's poisonous remark, but didn't completely succeed so his shoulders began to shake in quiet suppressed chuckling.

"Yes, I did insult her cooking skills. And no, she can't hear us, because she's 23 feet away and I was talking too quietly for a human to hear me over this distance." Cameron continued to grin at John. Then she turned to the counter: "I'll take a pancake and you can taste it later. I don't require food in such quantities and I'd be glad to share with you." She turned back to him with a small smile: "Would you like some jam or perhaps some jelly or something else? Chocolate?"

John finally got his laugh attack under control and answered with bemused voice: "Chocolate would be good." Then his eyes traveled across Cameron's face with admiration: "Cam, you're unbelievable. I'll really have to take care not to fall into your disgrace. Ever."

Cameron's face turned into serious one: "John, you know I would never do anything to harm you."

"I was talking about your speaking and joking mannerisms, Cam. You're getting so good at them, you can probably counter anyone you want and make them feel like fools. And I wouldn't want to feel like a fool."

Cameron raised one eyebrow: "Oh, that's what you meant. Well, I can't promise I'll never do it. But only if you'll deserve such a treatment."

John giggled: "Here you go again! Cam, let's just take the food and join our family over there." He tilted his head towards the table at the window, where Derek was already mightily at work to annihilate substantial quantities of food which was piled high on his platter. Sarah was also already sitting at the table with a large cup of coffee in her hands. She obviously chose to just drink the coffee and didn't take any food. With Derek being concentrated solely on his most important task of consuming unbelievable quantities of food, she had nothing to do but to stare into nothingness, albeit her face revealed her annoyance with clearly unsocial behavior of her room mate.

John began to fill his plate with food and looked at Cameron, who neatly placed a large, golden brown looking pancake in exact center of her plate and began pouring hot chocolate over it in a perfect symmetrical pattern. "Cam, you don't have to do it so perfectly."

Cameron looked from her plate to his eyes and back. After a split second she gazed into his eyes again: "I love symmetry. It's nicer to have everything arranged perfectly than to have it look like the wild water would scratch it together."

"Can't argue with that." John smiled at her. "Shall we go to the table?"

Cameron nodded and followed him towards the table where Derek and Sarah were already sitting.

TBC


	8. Absolutely Unnecessary Talk

_I managed the new chapter sooner as expect, so I won't let you wait for it. But don't get too high expectations for the future lol. It will take a little more time for the next chapter to be ready. _

_And here it is: John and Sarah talk. The results? Read the chapter and find out._

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**Chapter 8 - Absolutely Unnecessary Talk **

After they finished their breakfasts, Sarah looked at John: "John, come with me to the bar. We have to talk."

Reluctantly, John turned to Cameron: "Cam, go up in the room and wait for me. It shouldn't take long. Could you please prepare my snowboarding clothes so that I won't lose too much time when I come? Please?"

Cameron smiled a little strained. She didn't like the idea of John being alone without her. Even the fact that he'd be with his mother did a little to reassure her worries. She nodded: "OK, I'll prepare everything." She got up and left the dining room, leaving Sarah, John and Derek behind.

Sarah turned to Derek: "You should go too, Derek. This is just between John and me."

"As you wish." It was obvious that Derek wasn't thrilled by the fact he wouldn't be witnessing their conversation. He assumed what the topic of the talk would be and wanted to take care that Sarah wouldn't be too soft. He was absolutely sure they would have to break the bond, forming between John and Cameron, at any costs. Therefore Sarah's insistence to talk to her son alone didn't go quite well with him. But, he couldn't openly oppose her if he didn't want to jeopardize their plans.

Sarah and John went to the bar, which was empty at this time and Sarah leaded her son into a booth in the faraway corner. As they walked towards the booth, a waiter wanted to follow them, but Sarah showed him they wouldn't want anything so he stayed behind the counter and reassumed his evidently bored expression.

After they sat down, John looked at his watch: "Well, mom, tell me why you wanted to talk to me … alone. In thirty minutes Tim and Andrea are coming around and I still have to change into proper clothes." He looked at her expectantly, but a slight note of irritation in his voice made it clear that he wasn't thrilled to have this talk.

Sarah looked into his eyes and steeled herself to say what she wanted to say: "John, I don't like the way you act around Cameron. Are you forgetting that she's a terminator? Have you already forgotten that she tried to kill us both? She can't be trusted! She's not a girl, she's a deadly machine. Are you sure that she can't go bad again? No, you can't be sure! Therefore you should keep her at arms' length at least and don't let yourself be lulled in ignorance and false security feeling because she momentarily acts like a human girl."

John anticipated the topic of the talk, but didn't expect that his mother would immediately attack with heavy artillery like she did. His eyes grew wider and wider as he listened to her words and anger became evident in his face. After Sarah finished, he clenched and unclenched his fists under the table, inhaled deeply to calm down at least a bit, feeling that his anger was boiling and threatening to explode violently. "Mom, you know I love you and I appreciate everything you've done for me. I know that if it wasn't for you, I'd probably already be dead. But you have to understand one thing: Cameron saves my life on daily basis. I can't even keep count on all the occasions she acted as my fiercest protector and put herself at any imaginable risk to keep me safe." He stopped and sighed while his eyes glared into his mothers'. "No, I haven't forgotten what happened on my birthday. But _you_ are forgetting something. That was not Cameron! That was Skynet programming, forcing her to do what she did. How do you think a human would react should they be exposed to a brain surgery or even brain washing? Besides … I don't believe that I had really managed to fix her. Just by cleaning her chip? Please! That would be more than unbelievable."

Sarah interjected astonished: "What do you mean you haven't fixed her? She didn't attempt to kill you after you reactivated her; she even promised not to harm you! How could she do it if she weren't fixed?"

John laughed quietly but humorlessly: "It's quite simple: I believe she consciously overrode her termination order because she didn't want to harm me. She fought and probably still fights her programming in order to protect me from herself, because she _wants_ to protect me, because she _wants_ to keep me safe. Now, if that's not devotion and more, than I really don't know what devotion is."

Sarah swallowed hard: "I don't think you're seeing the things clearly John. It's more than obvious that you're infatuated with her looks. True, she's as pretty as a picture, but you know what lies underneath … metal, pistons, energy cell, kill order…"

She was cut off by John, who raised his voice slightly in growing anger: "No mom, _you're_ the one who doesn't see the things clearly. You're too prejudiced to see her the way she really is." He sighed and continued with normal volume again: "Mom, I'm not asking you to like or even love her. I'm just asking you to accept her for who she is. I know that you've already noticed how she changed in the last days. Believe me, what we see now is the real Cameron. It's not a terminator in infiltration mode, it's what Cameron really is. I don't know how, but after the explosion some barriers in her mind, in her programming, must have been destroyed and she feels things. She feels emotions and they're real. And some of your reactions to her convinced me that you noticed it too.

"Yes, I have a special relationship with her. I don't know if it's what you think it is, but I trust her and believe in her. She proves herself to me day in and day out. Please, don't force me to deny everything I believe in. Please, don't force me to abandon my best friend, just because she's not human." John let his head hang.

Sarah swallowed. She understood John and she had to admit that he was right, although it was a very reluctant confession. She definitely noticed the changes in Cameron's behavior. Although Cameron always tried showed her the blank terminator face, she didn't fail to see how she looked at her son. There were clear emotions written on her face, there was obvious affection in her eyes as she thought no one else but John could notice them. But she was still a machine. She would never be anything else and Sarah had been taught by experience and all the timer travelers from the future that machines are dangerous and not to be trusted. So she didn't trust Cameron. "John. I understand you. But try to understand me too. I only want you to be safe and I can't trust her." She sounded little helpless.

John noticed her wavering and decided to use it even further: "Mom, I already said to you once as I removed her chip for the first time: you don't have to trust her, trust me. And I'll say that again. I have gone against your wishes and beliefs as I reinserted her chip in that warehouse. And I was right. I think that I deserve to be trusted at least a bit. If it was ever important for me that you trust me, than it's in this matter. Mom, Cameron will never do anything to harm me. Believe me!" His voice was insistent and penetrating. He bowed a little forward to be closer to his mother and grabbed her hands, laid in her lap, squeezing them gently.

Sarah was in utter inner turmoil. She wanted to believe her son. She wanted to show him that she trusted him. But she simply couldn't get over the fact that he was defending a machine, a machine built with the sole purpose of killing John Connor, a machine which already tried to kill him. Her eyes darted all over the place, trying to avoid his penetrating gaze. But she knew that he was waiting for her answer. She knew him well enough to be sure he wouldn't take a "no" for an answer. On one hand she wanted to say yes to him, to accept his reasoning, but on the other, there was the plan to separate him from Cameron, which she pursued together with Derek. Suddenly she felt very bad about implementing the plan, about her interference in her son's life. It was obvious that he wanted to keep Cameron in his life. She instinctively knew that John would very soon pursue more intimate relationship with her.

She finally managed to look into his eyes and felt small, seeing his piercing raptor gaze. _I wanted to have a talk with him. I wanted to make him understand that he should keep Cameron at arm's length. I was intending to yell at him and not let him talk at all. And now look at me: I'm squirming like a worm here in front of my teenage son. _This thought suddenly ignited the flame of anger and defiance and she looked at him resolutely: "John, I see that we can't find an understanding in this matter. You cannot convince me to accept your point of view and I can't convince you to accept mine. I could simply order you to obey me. After all … you're still underage and I am responsible for you. However … I know you to be like mother like son. So I will do something I hopefully won't regret. I don't want to ruin your vacation so I'll force myself to be nice towards her this week.

"But I expect something in return: you won't pursue a relationship with her and you'll keep your distance from her all the time. You should let her know that she's just your protector, nothing more. You should make her clear that' she's just a machine, assigned to his protection" She sighed and looked into her son's eyes.

John cast his eyes down for a moment and looked into her eyes with a heavy sigh: "Mom, thank you for your offer. But I cannot promise to fulfill your terms. I could never again treat Cameron the way you want me to. She means too much to me. I can only promise I won't force anything. I'll let the situation evolve naturally. And I will most definitely not make her clear that she's just a machine, because she's much more than that. That's the best I can offer. Sorry. However, I'm sure you already knew what my answer to your request would be." He shrugged, knowing that his mother wouldn't be exactly making air jumps out of delight upon hearing his words.

Sarah already wanted to explode, but restrained herself. She didn't want her son to realize that she was up to something that would change his life thoroughly and that he wouldn't like a bit. So she forcefully calmed herself down and looked at him annoyed: "Do you know what you want from me? You are almost asking me to give you my blessings to start a relationship with a machine." She sighed: "If you can't promise me what I want, then I can't promise you what you want. So we are staying as we were. Status quo."

John grinned unhappily: "Yeah, status quo. So, what was this talk necessary for?" He looked challenging into his mother's eyes.

Sarah greeted her teeth: "Nothing! I was hoping we'd achieve some kind of understanding and all I've got is time, lost in trying to persuade my stubborn son."

"And vice versa, would I add." Smiled John, but his smile didn't reach his eyes. He stood up: "Now I have to go to change. Our friends are arriving in fifteen minutes. I hope you'll accompany us to the slope to see where we're going to spend the forenoon."

Sarah sighed, got up too and smiled a bit pained: "Regardless of this failed talk, I'm still your mother and I love you. Yes, I'll accompany you."

John smiled again, this time smile reflected also in his eyes: "I know mom. I may not agree with you, but I love you too. Oh, not to forget. We told Tim and Andrea that we're from Prescott. Tell Derek too so that he won't say something stupid." He gave her a quick hug and turned to leave for his room.

After John arrived into his room, he saw Cameron sitting on the edge of the bed, her arms neatly folded in her lap, looking at him with a small smile: "I've been wondering if you forgot that there's someone waiting for you in your room."

John looked at her perplexed and answered her line with a: "Huh?" and a stupid look.

Cameron sighed, slightly rolled her eyes over his dumbfounded reaction and smiled at him: "I felt almost like a straw widow. You said it would take only few minutes." She stood up and her smile vanished after she saw John's concerned face: "Did Sarah request you to stay away from me?"

John gasped in surprise over her question and saw pain in Cameron's eyes. She tried to hide it, but he still could see it. "Yes, she did."

Cameron's head fell down and she looked at the floor: "And did you honor her wish?" Her voice was so quiet that he barely heard her and was so clearly expressing her hurt and her fear of hearing the answer she feared to get.

John stepped closer to her, cupped her chin in his hand and gently tried to lift her head to look into his eyes. At first she opposed his efforts, but after she finally allowed him to lift her head, she still refused to look into his eyes. John's heart was breaking at seeing her so distressed. "Cam, please, look at me." His voice was so gentle and caring that she couldn't possibly refuse his kind request, so she looked into his eyes. He could see that she was really distressed and was trying her best to hide it, but failing miserably. "I said no to her request."

Cameron's eyes widened in surprise, but she wasn't sure if John made the right decision: "John, she's your mother and you should listen to what she says."

"I did and I still do. Listen to her. But I can never forsake my best friend because she isn't able to accept her." John smiled tenderly at Cameron's still completely confused eyes, while his thumb gently and slowly stroke her jaw.

"Is that what I am to you? Your best friend?" Cameron was tilting her head as much as she could, considering that John's hand still cupped her jaw. She was at the same time happy and disappointed. She was glad that he was ready to defend their friendship and disappointed because she hoped for something more than just friendship.

"Yes. And more. Much more." John finally let go of her face and turned to look at the clothes she carefully prepared on the bed. "Thank you for preparing my clothes. We should get ready and wait in the lobby. Andrea and Tim should be here any minute now and I don't want to let them wait for too long." He knew exactly what Cameron was trying to get out of him, but he wasn't prepared yet to give it to her. Probably soon, but not just yet.

Cameron understood what he meant and if she had a heart it would probably skip a beat. She knew now that he felt much more than just ordinary friendship for her; he just wasn't ready yet to tell it to her. But now she knew that the day would come, he would be ready. And she could be patient. So she smiled seductively at him: "Thank you John. Thank you for not forsaking me."

John looked in her sweet smiling face and felt how his knees suddenly threatened to give in, so he nodded, grabbed his clothes and almost ran into the bathroom to change in there. In this situation he couldn't trust himself to stay a brave young man with Cameron so close. After he closed the door behind himself, he dropped the clothes to the floor, leaned against the closed door and drew a ragged breath. He needed few seconds to compose himself and started to change into snowboarding clothes.

Meanwhile Cameron grinned satisfied in the room. She knew exactly why John ran into the bathroom and it made her satisfied to have such impact on him. She did feel a little worried because of Sarah, but she was sure they would be able to withstand her and Derek. As long as they would stand to their relationship, she was confident no one could tear them apart. She already changed into her snowboarding clothes before, so she decided to just sit there and wait for John to come out of the bathroom.

After few minutes, John emerged from the bathroom, changed into his outdoor attire and seemingly completely concentrated on the day that just begun. But Cameron didn't miss the look he gave her, the look, full of passion and suppressed feelings. "John? Did you leave your jeans on the floor in a crumpled pile as usual?"

John grinned at her and nodded: "Yep! I think there are so many changes happening to our lives right now so at least some old habits should be maintained."

Cameron rose swiftly from her sitting position and sighed impatiently: "Well, you should choose some other habit to maintain, because this one's a really bad example. If we continue to leave your clothes the way you normally dispose them, you won't be able to put anything on in two days, for everything will be piled on the floor everywhere around and completely crumpled." She went into the bathroom, collected his thrown away clothes and carefully hung them in the closet. Then she turned to a foolishly smiling John, who, nevertheless, couldn't hide little embarrassment, written on his face. She noticed that her goal of giving him a reason to be ashamed a little has been achieved, so she smiled at him: "Shall we go downstairs now? We are already running two minutes late."

John nodded and they left the room together, carrying their gloves, caps and goggles.

After they entered the hotel lobby, they saw that Andrea and Tim were not there yet, so they sat down on a settee to wait for them. Neither Sarah nor Derek was already there, so John sighed: "Where's everybody? We're gonna be late."

"Relax, John. It's no big deal if we don't get the first ski lift. We still have to find appropriate ski school and rent the necessary equipment." Cameron smiled at him while she played with her cap, turning it in her hands like a bored teenage girl.

"That's exactly why I don't want to be late!" John answered with impatient voice. "We could miss the beginning of the course and then we wouldn't be able to enjoy the first day." He was almost squirming in his seat nervously.

Cameron's smile widened: "I've checked the time schedule of the schools before. They collect applications for the course every day until 10.00 and since we're very close to the slopes, we'll be there soon enough to be able to pick a course."

John calmed down a little and looked at his smiling companion: "You really think of everything in advance, don't you?"

"I try to. Sometimes there are unexpected variables which cannot be considered at the time of planning, but in general … yes, I do." Cameron's eyes looked at him satisfied.

"Hey, there you are! Sorry for being late, but this sister of mine always has second thoughts about how she should look before going out and changes at least three times before she's half way satisfied." Tim's cheerful voice sounded across the lobby and John and Cameron turned to look at him. Andrea was right next to him as they approached them smiling contently.

"Well, it's not a big deal. It's not like it would be the end of the world." John answered while rising from his seat.

Cameron already opened her mouth to answer that the end of the world will come in few years, but stopped herself on time. It would really sound strange if she'd recite them the correct time until Judgment day … at least until Judgment day of her timeline. It was still possible, that they had changed it with their actions since she came back in time to protect John.

"So, shall we go? I've heard that we have to be at the ski school before 10.00." Inquired Tim, turned to Cameron and looked at her admiringly: "I wasn't making it up yesterday as I said that you look gorgeous. Today you look even better."

Cameron felt slightly annoyed at his remark, although it did flatter her a bit to hear such words. However, only one boy's flattering really could penetrate her defense mechanisms and that boy was standing right next to her and not in front of her.

John wasn't thrilled about Tim's attitude either, but decided not to take it seriously: "We'll have to wait for my mother and her friend. They said they'd like to accompany us to the slope." He paused and grinned evilly: "If they'll pay for the course I'll be glad to wait for them."

Tim and Andrea laughed: "I understand completely." Andrea smirked at John with a pinch of mischievousness in her eyes. As Cameron noticed it, her left hand twitched slightly in annoyance. For a long time she thought it was a mechanical malfunction and she even tried to fix it with John's help once. But after they tried everything to fix it and she couldn't find any mechanical problems, she began to analyze the situations in which this twitching occurred and after a short time she realized to her greatest surprise that it only happened when she felt that someone was threatening John or trying to meddle with her relationship with him. From there it didn't take her long to finally realize that it was a clearly emotional reaction; it was in fact her way of expressing jealousy.

John, who was looking at her, noticed her twitching and subtle change in her face, so he gently laid his hand over hers without saying a word, just smiling reassuringly at her. She turned to look at him too and her clenched fist relaxed slowly while she smiled back.

Andrea and Tim didn't miss the way John touched Cameron, but didn't overrate it either. The relationship between John and Cameron never came to discussion yesterday, so they had no idea what they were. The only sure thing they knew was that John and Cameron weren't siblings.

"I see that your friends are already here John." Sarah's voice came from behind and everyone turned to look at her, approaching with Derek in tow. Her face was slightly suspicious as she looked at Andrea and Tim.

John turned back to their new friends: "This is my mother, Sarah Baum. And the oaf behind her is her friend, Derek Reese. And these are Andrea and Tim Callough from San Diego." He kept the introduction as short as possible, to avoid any suspicious situations.

Derek cast him a dark look, turned to face the siblings and nodded to them. Sarah's face still showed slight suspicion, but she decided she'd get her information out of the two during the walk to the slope. She already arranged with Derek that he'd separate Tim from the others to talk him into playing the game and try to hit on Cameron, while she'd do the same with Andrea to persuade her how John was more than willing to find a nice girlfriend. So she tried her best to look friendly and extended her hand towards Andrea: "I'm glad to meet some friends of my son. He was already desperate for not having any friends here on the vacation." A straight lie, but it would serve the purpose and John wouldn't object her in the public. She obviously correctly assessed the situation, for John only gave her a confused look, but didn't comment on her lie.

Derek greeted Tim friendly: "Hi! Although John tries to present me as an oaf, I'm in fact much better than it looks. Glad to meet you Tim."

The siblings accepted greetings openly, not doubting the adults at all. To them they both seemed very friendly and reproachable.

As she saw the way Sarah and Derek greeted the Callough siblings, Cameron's alarm bells began to ring. It was more than strange that the two acted so friendly towards unknown people. She looked at John and realized that he shared her suspicions. He just nodded to her and raised his eyebrows meaningfully as if wishing to say: "I know and we should be careful."

"So, now that the introductions have been made, we should really go if you want to sign up for the course. We don't have exactly lots of experience in snowboarding, so we already booked the course in advance." Tim smiled at the adults and as he turned to Cameron, his smile got a slightly seductive note.

Cameron reacted with a blank face and a simple nod. She really wanted to take John's hand to show Tim that she didn't care for his attempts, but was afraid, John wouldn't appreciate it. But she didn't know that John shared her feelings and was afraid that she would find him to insistent if he'd try to hold her hand in front of the others. Besides … he wouldn't want to give his mother a reason to flip out less than an hour after the talk they had in which she clearly told him she was against any relationship between Cameron and him. So he restricted himself to a neutral answer and no open display of his affection for Cameron: "Yeah, you're right. It should be fun."

TBC


	9. The Plot Thickens

_What are Derek and Sarah up to and how? The answer is given in this chapter. It might appear somehow boring but it's essential for the plot._

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**Chapter 9 – The Plot Thickens **

Stepping out of the hotel, Derek noticed that it was a little bit warmer than yesterday evening, but still quite cold … definitely freezing. He exhaled deeply, just to see how his warm breath formed a cloud of fog. _Damn! As if I wouldn't have been cold enough in the future, I have to endure it even now as I have all chances to never be cold again._ Then he turned to see the others, lining through the entrance and stepping outside.

After they all exited the hotel, John rubbed his hands: "It's damn cold!" Then he looked at Cameron, who showed absolutely no affection by the cold, still holding her gloves and cap in the hands. "It would be better if you put those on, before you get undercooled."

"I can't …" Began Cameron but trailed off, realizing that he was just trying to subtly tell her that she should behave like a normal human girl. She smiled at him: "Thank you for taking care of me John." She put her cap and her gloves on. John looked at her and a breath caught in his throat for she looked simply adorable in her tasseled cap and big gloves. He shook his head to clear it and smiled apologetically to Cameron, who smiled back affectionately.

Meanwhile Derek managed to get close to Tim and clasped him on the shoulder: "So, Tim, are you looking forward for the day? I must say that I'm not exactly the fan of winter sports. I like it better if it's hot and steamy. If I were to choose the vacation destination, it'd definitely be somewhere near the equator. With lots of sun and sandy beaches. And cold beer too. Absolutely." While he was talking to Tim, he slowly led him away from the others, walking a bit faster, so that they were already out of the hearing range of the others. However, Cameron could probably still hear them, so he decided to put some more distance between them before he'd start the topic, he was actually up to. He continued to talk to the young man, who didn't suspect anything and was deeply in discussion with the older man.

After few minutes they were well ahead of the others, far enough so that even Cameron wouldn't be able to hear them and Derek decided he could start trying to convince Tim, he should try his luck with Cameron. "So, Tim, I've seen how you look at the … at Cameron." _Damn, I must be careful not to reveal the true nature of tin can. It's Cameron, remember it Derek! C. A. M. E. R. O. N._ "Do you think she's attractive?" He looked smugly into Tim's eyes and grinned conspiratorially.

Tim was quite surprised to hear such a question. He definitely found Cameron very attractive but tried not to show it too obvious. Well, he did show it just a little bit, so that she would know that he was interested. But he really didn't expect Derek to notice it. However he was sure that John noticed his affection: at least some of John's not exactly friendly looks convinced him that the young man noticed his affection for Cameron and didn't exactly approve of it. So he paused for a second before answering: "Yeah, sure, she's really attractive. But I think that she's more into John as I've noticed. Why would you want to know anyway?" He gazed curiously into Derek's face, not even realizing that Derek avoided being looked directly into his eyes at all costs.

Derek grinned: "Oh well … you're wrong about that. Cameron and John are not in any relationship. She's so to say his sister. Not by birth, but they've been raised by John's mother as siblings. To be honest … I'm little worried that she hasn't found a nice boyfriend yet. Perhaps she's too attached to John and I'd really like her to find someone who'd be able to give her what John obviously can't or doesn't want to. Although … I must say that she's a little picky." He couldn't believe himself how he managed to talk so nicely about the metal. But, the goal was set and he wouldn't choose the means to reach it. If he had to be nice to the metal, he'd be nice.

Tim looked a bit confused: "But I've got a feeling that there is more than just sibling-like relationship between them both."

"No, no, no, there's absolutely nothing between them. Look, I've been living with them for over a year now and I know what I'm talking about. Believe me, she's quite lonely, but she doesn't want to show it. She's very stubborn and sometimes she even acts like she'd be a bit autistic. The truth is that she's doesn't allow anyone near because she's afraid of getting hurt. She has had some bad experiences in the past, before I moved in, and she became almost paranoid. But you seem to me to be a nice, decent boy who perhaps could give her what she needs. So, if you'd try to get closer to her, I'd not be opposed. In fact, I'd help you. Of course, only if your intentions would be serious and honorable. I can't allow you to hurt her." It was perhaps the best lie based speech Derek had ever given. He was beginning to feel proud of himself to be able to so swiftly serve one lie after another.

Tim was beginning to understand what Derek was trying to tell him and his confusion slowly began to dissipate. As a matter of fact he really found Cameron very attractive and would be glad if he could get closer to her. _She's one of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen, if not the most beautiful._ His eyes got a glassy look as he was contemplating the opportunity, Derek was serving him. To be honest, he didn't regard her as an easy catch or someone to use and throw away. She definitely intrigued him and he'd be more than happy if he could find out more about her. So he completely missed Derek's smug grin as he noticed how Tim began to consider the way to hit on Cameron. He turned his eyes to look at Derek: "So you think that I may have a chance to get into her grace? That she wouldn't mind me trying to get closer to her?"

"Well, I think that she's everything else but an easy catch. She would probably resolutely deject you first, but deep down inside she'd be glad that someone's paying her attention. If you could prove her that you're meaning it seriously, you could probably win her heart and mind. But you would have to play your cards really good. She might not look so, but she's highly intelligent and she wouldn't be interested in some dumb approach." Derek grinned widely as he saw that Tim already grabbed the bait he dangled in front of his nose. _Poor guy! You have absolutely no idea what you are getting yourself into. She'll beat the crap out of you if you only as sneeze wrong. But … if John wouldn't be interested in her, it could work. At least she wouldn't terminate you. So, let's give you a shot at it._

Tim suddenly grinned: "Thank you Derek. I wasn't sure if it would be OK to try to get to know her better and intimately because of John. But if you say that they're not in a relationship, I'll definitely give it a try. She's absolutely worth it."

_If you only knew what it really is!_ Derek grinned and nodded at Tim: "You have my full support Tim!" Then he stopped: "We're running away from the others. Let's wait for them."

At the same time as Derek started a conversation with Tim, Sarah snatched Andrea's arm and began to talk to her, slowly beginning to fall behind John and Cameron, who were so lost in their intimate discussion that John didn't notice how Derek and Tim suddenly began to walk much faster, neither did he notice that his mother began to fall behind with Andrea. Cameron however, registered that they were suddenly left alone and she became suspicious. She adjusted her hearing so that she would be able to follow the conversation between Derek and Tim and the one between Sarah and Andrea. Unfortunately Derek and Tim were too far ahead and Sarah and Andrea fell too far behind. So she could only hear them speaking, but couldn't understand what they were talking about. It made her feel uneasy and she decided to keep an eye and ear on all four to perhaps be able to find out what they talked about.

"So, Andrea, tell me … how come that you're here with your brother instead with some nice boyfriend?" Sarah's approach to Andrea was a little subtler than Derek's towards Tim, but the goal was the same.

"I have no boyfriend at the moment. The last one was a total jerk and I wouldn't want to get involved with someone like that again. At least not in the foreseeable future." Andrea spoke a bit reluctantly and asked herself what Sarah tried to get out of her. Sarah's friendliness didn't exactly convince her and she felt that there was something more behind her words than just pure curiosity.

"I understand you completely. My son also had a bad experience, however, not because his girlfriend would be a dork, but because she'd been assassinated. I think that he still hasn't gotten over her death yet. He bottles everything up and I'm worried he could literally explode when he reaches his breaking point." Sarah's voice revealed her deep worries about her son's wellbeing. She actually didn't lie to Andrea and that fact made it much easier for her to sound convincing.

Andrea gasped for air: "I didn't know it. But … isn't Cameron his girlfriend?" She sounded confused.

Sarah shook her head: "No, Cameron is more like a sister to him. They grew up together after we took her. She lost her parents some years ago and I couldn't let poor girl be put in a foster family, so I took care of her. That was the least I could do for her. Her and John became almost inseparable and it's easy for people to think they would be in a relationship. But when you get to know them better, you can see that it's just a very strong bond like the one the twins share. Hey, you probably have the same bond with Tim."

"Well, we do have a special bond, that's right." Andrea suddenly began to calculate and she grinned slightly: "But John doesn't look like he'd be still grieving and suffering. He appears to be in quite good mood actually."

"I told you that he's a guy to bottle everything up and doesn't want to show his vulnerability to anyone except Cameron." Sarah sighed and then looked at Andrea: "You know … you do look a bit like his deceased girlfriend. Maybe you could get through to him and make him open up to the world again. He appears to be open, but in reality he allows us to see only what he chooses and that's not exactly much. Sooner or later you crash against his self imposed defense wall which even I wasn't able to tear down."

Andrea nodded slightly: "I think he's cute. And with such an experience I'd be devastated too." She sank in thoughts for a second: "Maybe I could try to get him to open up. He's quite nice after all."

Sarah smiled at her: "I won't object if you'll give it a try. In fact, I'd appreciate if you'd do it. I'm worried for him. He never even gave himself a real chance to grieve. I think it could only do him good to finally face the fact that Riley's gone from his life and move on."

"So, her name was Riley? I wonder what she was like. Were they together for a long time?" Andrea was already setting on the task of getting closer to John and was trying to gather every bit of information she could that would help her in her quest.

"Not really, only few months. But I'm sure that they loved each other a lot. Can you imagine: he even ran off with her to Mexico once and we had to follow them to bring them back." Sarah grinned at the memory of John's "excursion" to Mexico. To hide her true feelings, she turned slightly away from Andrea and prevented her from looking into her face, which twisted in the memory of what happened in Mexico. After a second she turned back to look at Andrea and smiled at her.

Andrea smiled back: "Well, if that' isn't interesting. I wonder if there are even more secrets he is withholding. I like mysterious guys."

_If you only knew what secrets he has. It would literally bring you to the edge of reason._ Sarah smiled at Andrea: "Yeah, he is like that. Look, we've fallen behind. Let's catch up with them." She quickened her pace, knowing that she sewed the seed that she wanted to in Andrea's mind. She was sure Andrea would be definitely more courageous in her efforts to get closer to John, especially after telling her about Riley's death. She knew very well that John already got over Riley, although he'd never stop blaming himself for her death, but he already moved on. A little lie (in her mind it was a little one) which wouldn't do any harm but would help her achieve her goal.

Just short before reaching the gathering point of the ski school, the complete group was together again. Cameron couldn't help but be cautious about what Derek and Sarah did during their walk from hotel and was eying them suspiciously. But not having any proof that they were plotting something, she decided not to reveal her doubts yet in order not to upset John unnecessarily. Should she get a proof of her suspicions, she could always tell everything to John. But for now, she satisfied herself with being even more vigilant.

They finally arrived to the meeting point for ski school and stopped a few steps from the little house, where the office was. Sarah took the initiative: "Well, as I am the one who'll be paying for the course, I'll check you two in. Wait here!" She didn't wait for anyone to answer and simply went to the office, where some young people already waited, chatting amicably. As she left them, John looked at Cameron, who simply shrugged. She had no idea either why Sarah decided to sign them up for the course alone. Her suspicions were boosted by this action, especially when she compared Sarah's behavior with her own yesterday evening, as she went to check them in the hotel. She was definitely sure that Sarah was hiding something, but she had no idea what it could be.

Before they could really become suspicious, Sarah returned, holding two chip cards: "So, these are the chip cards for the ski lift and everything else you need for the course. However, there is a small problem." She trailed off and looked into John's eyes.

John got a bad feeling about it, but forced himself to ask in a nearly neutral voice: "What problem?"

"You two can't be together in one group. There are only two groups today and in each group there's only one free place left. So I had to assign you two to different groups. You," She looked towards John and gave him one card, "are in the group with Andrea, and you," now she handed the second card to Cameron, "are in the group with Tim."

John glared at her with open mouth: "Mom, that's not possible! I can't be in another group as Cameron. Who will …" He trailed off just in time to prevent himself from saying something stupid and revealing the true nature of their relationship to Andrea and Tim. He almost bit his tongue for being so foolish. "We were so looking forward to learn together."

Cameron looked at Sarah with burning eyes: "Sarah, that's not acceptable. We should be together in one group!"

Andrea and Tim witnessed this conversation with slightly confused feelings. They couldn't understand why they so insisted to be in the same group, especially after what they've been told by Sarah and Derek. John and Cameron acted like they would really have a much deeper relationship than just a sibling one.

Sarah sighed and successfully hid her glee upon separating her son from Cameron, without even being forced to do anything or lie to them. As a matter of fact, she really told them the truth that there was only one free place in each group. Just the decision to which group each one would be assigned was her doing … "John, I'm really sorry, but that's the way it is. Besides, it will only be for three hours. The course takes only three hours and you'll be in a company of a friend."

"Yeah, sure, but …" John stuttered and looked helplessly into Cameron's eyes, just to see that she was equally distressed about this unexpected turn of events as him and was reluctant to accept such a solution.

"John, don't make such a drama out of simple snowboarding course! T … Cameron is going to be all right. She'll have Tim to take care of her." Derek grinned devilishly, enjoying the fact that his plan worked even better than he could have ever hoped for.

John shook his head: "I know, it's just … I was really looking forward to being together with Cameron." He looked into Cameron's eyes again. "How about you?"

Cameron hung her head for a second and looked into John's eyes: "I'm not satisfied with this arrangement. Perhaps we could wait until tomorrow to see if they'll have two places in one group free tomorrow?"

Before John was able to answer her, Sarah explained: "Unfortunately, there are no free places for the next four days. So, it's simply take it or leave it."

Cameron let out a convincingly human sigh and looked a bit helplessly into John's eyes: "I really don't like it."

John sighed too: "Neither do I. but … considering that we might have to wait for four days, I think it would be better to grab this opportunity. After all … it's really only for three hours and I guess both groups will be staying close together. And after we are through with the course, we'll be together again."

Derek nodded vigorously, cast a conspiratorial look towards Tim and confirmed: "Yeah, John's right. What could ever happen in three hours? Nothing!"

Tim grinned at the opportunity, which literally fell into his lap and turned to John: "I promise to take good care of Cameron. I'll guard her like you would."

_And that's exactly what I'm afraid of!_ Thought John and almost mouthed his thought aloud. But he understood that they had no other chance, apart from the possibility to wait for four days, which was absolutely unacceptable. So he looked into Cameron's pleading eyes again, feeling like her look would stab him directly in the heart: "Cam, I think that we should accept the chance. But after three hours we'll go up the slope together. Agreed?"

Cameron was quite upset about this development. She never even thought of having to leave John alone. She didn't care about Tim, but she did care about Andrea, being together with John and even much more, she was horrified that she wouldn't be able to protect her John. She returned John's look with a plea in her eyes: "John, are you really sure? I mean … it's true, it will only take three hours, but still …"

John finally realized that he couldn't look into her eyes anymore if he didn't want to go all weak, so he grabbed her hand and squeezed it lightly: "Yes Cam, I'm sure. Look at it from this side … we'll both have something to look forward … to meet after three hours. Please?"

Cameron couldn't possibly say no to his bright green eyes and after a short hesitation she nodded: "OK, if that's what you think would be the best solution then let's do it." She made a short pause: "But don't forget to meet me here after the course is over." She even pouted a little and John couldn't help but smile at seeing her pouting lips and a slightly insulted expression on her face, which made his heart beat faster. _She's absolutely adorable when she pouts and acts miffed._ He nodded and turned to Sarah: "Well, that's settled then. You two can do whatever you want for the next three hours. However, we still have to find suitable boots and boards. After the course is finished, we'll come to the hotel. Well, probably not immediately. I'd like to enjoy some free rides too." He looked conspiratorially into Cameron's eyes.

Sarah smiled at her son: "They also rent boots and boards over there where I paid for the course. I suggest you go over there." She gave him another piece of paper: "Here: it's the voucher for rental for both of you. I already paid for that too."

John smiled: "Thank you, mom! I appreciate it very much." Then he turned towards the rest of the group: "We'll go over there to find suitable equipment for us." Then he remembered that neither Andrea nor Tim had boots and boards with them: "What about you two? Do you already have the boards?"

Andrea smiled at him: "Yeah, we did rent the complete gear yesterday and stowed it in the wardrobe at the ski lift. We'll go get it and then we can meet here again." She smiled at John slightly seductively and turned to Tim: "Shall we pick it up?" Tim nodded and they left to get their gear.

John turned to Sarah: "So, we're off too. See you later." He didn't even look at Derek. He was still holding Cameron's hand and pulled her gently towards the building, where they would find appropriate equipment. Immediately after she obliged, he let go of her hand.

After few steps, Cameron quietly said: "John?"

He turned to her, without stopping: "Yeah, Cam?"

"Be very careful, please. I don't' want anything happen to you. It would devastate me." Her voice quivered slightly. "And beware of Andrea. I think that she has some ideas I really don't like." She let her eyes wander around.

John felt warm inside and smiled: "I will take care Cam. You shouldn't worry about Andrea. She's OK, but nothing more than that. You should, however, really take care of Tim. I still don't like the way he looks at you."

Cameron smiled shakily at him: "Are you worried for me John?"

He just nodded.

Her smile widened: "I'll be very careful not to make any permanent damage to him, should he try anything."

John grinned at her remark: "That's my girl. Now … let's find us good equipment."

Cameron again didn't comment on the girl issue. She even felt good that John obviously accepted her as a girl.

TBC


	10. Things Going Wrong

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I expected that it would raise quite a lot of questions and it definitely did. For those, who think that the characters are OOC … yes, they are. I've made that clear at the very beginning of the story. Especially "my" Cameron and John, but also Sarah and Derek are NOT OC. Concerning other questions … please, be patient. Some answers are given already in this chapter, some will be answered later. Don't forget that the story is outlined for about 28 - 30 chapters and some answers could be given very late in the story._

_For those, who think that John is acting too childish … well, I think that in first eight chapters he definitely didn't act like a 14-15 year old teenager. In the last one he did, but in this and some following chapters you should get explanation why._

_Sorry, almost no Jameron in this chapter. _

* * *

**Chapter 10 – Things Going Wrong **

Cameron was relentless. For the first time since her relationship with John improved so much, she was separated from him and at the moment she even couldn't see him anywhere. She was sitting on the chair of ski lift, together with Tim and two other attendants of the course, trying not to worry but worrying nevertheless. She constructed various scenarios and in almost everyone John got hurt because she wasn't there to protect him. It went even so far that she had to forcefully stop playing and replaying different simulations and command herself to stand down. Tim was talking almost all the time but she didn't really listen to him. Sure, she recorded everything but didn't pay any attention to him or anyone else for that matter.

After they have rented all necessary equipment, they returned to the meeting point and only few minutes later both groups were formed. After Derek and Sarah were gone, John suggested to Tim and Andrea to swap places, so that they could be together in one group, but they both were surprised to get a definitive 'no' as the answer with explanation that they wouldn't want to be together in one group. The reasons for such firm refusal were still a secret and neither Andrea nor Tim was prepared to explain them to Cameron and John. So they had to go through with Sarah's decision. Her group went to the ski lift as first, while John's group still remained at the meeting point due to some very clumsy attendants who didn't even know how to put the board on. In that moment she realized that both groups wouldn't stay together and she desperately tried to catch a glimpse of John in the other group. After she spotted his face, she frowned deeply. Andrea was already hanging on his arm and was chattering him up relentlessly. But her frown vanished and was replaced by a tiny smile as John looked at her too and she saw that he was quite clearly annoyed at Andrea's way of clinging to him and only after he noticed her looking at him he smiled back at her. After few seconds she had to return her attention to her group, for they were already in the queue in front of the ski lift and she was the next to take a seat.

"Didn't you hear me, Cameron?" Tim was sounding a little perplexed that Cameron obviously didn't listen to him.

Cameron abruptly stopped reviewing her memories and looked at Tim: "Sorry, I was thinking of something else. What did you say?" It was really unnecessary to request him repeating his words, for she had recorded everything. But it would appear more human if she'd ask him again.

Tim grinned: "Yeah, I noticed you've been somewhere else. I asked if you ever tried snowboarding before?"

Cameron frowned: "I wasn't somewhere else; I'm sitting here all the time." Then she realized that Tim mustn't have meant it literally, so she grinned: "Joke! No, I have never been on the board before. But I'm confident to master it in very short time."

Tim's grin widened: "Confident girl. I like confident girls." He couldn't continue, because they just arrived at the top of the lift and they had to pay attention to get off the lift somehow. They all had the boards on one of their feet therefore it would take quite an balance act to descend from the chair safely, especially considering the quite significant fall from the exit ramp to the gathering point.

Cameron looked at the slope and calculated the best position on the board. She had absolutely no idea what the correct position on the board would be, but she tried her best to find the position, which would make it possible to slide to the meeting point without falling. She put her other foot beside the binding and noticed how her sole slipped on the surface of the board. _I forgot to calculate the slippery surface of the board. _She quickly made a new calculation, giving her the correct position of her sole and the correct amount of pressure on it to stay on the board. One of her perfections was the completely balanced position of her body on any kind of surface so she was reasonably sure she'd make it to her first goal without crashing. She pushed herself from the chair with carefully calculated amount of force and glided in perfect position towards the rest of her group.

Tim, who had some minor experience in snowboarding before, was biting his lower lip, trying to find the best position of his feet. His tongue protruded from the corner of his mouth in strenuous effort to master this challenge. He pushed himself from the chair a little later than Cameron, but he couldn't calculate his force like she did, so instead of using his brain, he used too much muscle mass.

He felt how his balance began to waver and tried to compensate, but in doing so, he, as it was to be expected, overcompensated and instead of sliding straight ahead, he turned the other way. And that was the direction he shouldn't be going, because it lead directly into Cameron, who was gliding slowly but perfectly. In the moment of realization that he was going to crash into her, his eyes widened and he began to flail with his arms but to no effect. He could only count down the seconds before inevitable crash.

Cameron concentrated on her target and didn't pay too much attention to what was going on behind her. Suddenly she registered something coming upon her but before she could react, she heard a strangled cry: "NOOOO!" and felt how someone crashed into her. She wasn't prepared for such interruption so she wasn't able to compensate on time and in the next second she was lying on her back in the snow, with Tim sprawled over her.

"What is that supposed to mean? Why are you assaulting me?" She hissed through clenched teeth, trying hard to bring her anger under control and glaring daggers into Tim's confused eyes, which were only inches from hers. She could feel him lying on her, his arms around her and she definitely didn't like it. "Get off of me! NOW!" She raised her voice, completely ignoring the laughter of the other group members, who were looking at them.

Tim stuttered: "Sorry C … Cameron. It wasn't intentional. I … I just misjudged the direction. I would never attack you." His eyes returned to normal and a smug grin appeared around his lips. Gee,_ I've got her under me even sooner than I could have hoped for. She smells so good … _His arms not only didn't let her go, he even pretended to have difficulties with getting off her and hugged her a little tighter.

However, Cameron was less than thrilled with the situation and grabbed his shoulders in her iron grip. Without any effort she lifted him from herself like a small stray kitten and growled irritably: "I told you to get off of me!"

Tim was taken by surprise as he noticed how angry Cameron looked, but especially because she lifted him like a small cat without showing any effort at all. _She's a lot stronger than she looks._ He finally got on his knees to stand up and apologized again: "Really, I'm sorry Cameron. I'll try not to hit you again." He spoke meekly, like someone who found themselves in a situation which they liked, but shouldn't have liked at all.

Cameron sighed and calmed down significantly. She could see in Tim's eyes that he was really sorry and that he really didn't do it intentionally. So she gave him an impatient sigh: "I know. Sorry that I overreacted. Just don't do it again. Find a tree, find another girl to hug, just don't target me again, right?" She was still lying on her back and was just calculating what would be the most efficient method of getting up.

Tim, who was already on his feet, nodded again and offered her his hand. Cameron looked at it slightly surprised, but took it nevertheless. She definitely didn't need his help to get up, but it made her blend in more successfully if she acted like she'd need his help. He pulled her up and tried to help her dust the snow off her clothes but she stopped him defiantly: "Thanks, but no thanks. I'll do it myself." She absolutely didn't want to feel his hands on her body, even though it was covered with thick layers of clothes.

Tim just shrugged nonchalantly and grinned sheepishly: "As you wish." Then he decided that he could as well step into the bindings and tighten them to avoid falling stupidly again. So he sat in the snow and began to fix the binding.

Cameron didn't bother at all and carefully cleaned the snow off herself. As she raised her head, she saw Tim sitting and fixing his bindings and she decided that she should do it too. She plopped down beside Tim and began to work on her binding.

After they both finally managed to fix the bindings, they got up and joined the other members of their group, who were waiting for them about 30 feet away and still grinned at their small mishap. After they lined themselves on their respective places, the trainer began to explain the basics of snowboarding to them. Tim perked his ears up not to miss a single word of the teacher, while Cameron grinned at the thought that she was more than able to multitask, so she divided her attention between the explanations of the trainer and the ski lift, awaiting the arrival of John's group eagerly.

But she had no luck. The trainer finished his explanations and asked the first one in the line to try to glide to the other side of the slope. One by one every member managed to get over there with more or less success. Some with grace, some with less grace and some with no grace at all. Cameron was the last in the group and as her turn to get to the other side was closing in, she became nervous and her eyes remained glued to the ski lift. Still no sight of John!

"Cameron! You're next!" She heard the trainer calling for her and her eyes reluctantly left the ski lift and looked into direction of trainer's voice with slight annoyance written over her face. Everyone else was already on the other side of the slope and all eyes hung on her. If she were human, she'd definitely feel embarrassed, but she dismissed the feeling of being observed and simply calculated the best trajectory to join the group. "Are you going?" the trainer asked again.

Cameron didn't bother to answer him; she slightly jumped to turn her board in the correct direction and let herself glide away in perfect position. She managed to cross the slope without slightest balance problem and as she reached the group, she elegantly stopped and sat down in the snow beside Tim. She didn't miss admiring looks that Tim and also the other members of the group gave her. It didn't mean much to her, the only person, whom she wished would admire her, was not present. And yet she felt satisfied that she was obviously the best pupil in this group. A second later the trainer joined them and looked at Cameron: "Well, Cameron, I can't believe that this is your first time on snowboard. You aren't pulling my leg, are you? You mastered this like a pro and not like a beginner."

Cameron grinned at him self-satisfied: "I've never even seen the snowboard before."

Trainer smiled at her: "Then you're the best natural talent I've seen in my life. I guess you'll master everything in these three hours." Then he turned to the others: "You should try to do like she does. She has perfect balance and knows exactly what she has to do."

Tim grinned proudly at his neighbor: "She's with me, you know. Quite a gal, right?"

Cameron heard him and her face got darker but she didn't want to embarrass him so publicly, so she decided to keep quiet for the time being.

Tim's neighbor couldn't help but to look at her admiringly and nodded to Tim: "You're a lucky guy. She's really first league."

Their further conversation was stopped by the trainer, who continued with his explanations about further elements of snowboarding. Luckily for them, for Cameron's face was getting darker and she was just preparing a poisonous answer for the both self assured boys.

John was still fuming because his mother separated him from Cameron. But he was even more furious at himself for letting her treat him like a baby, just because he was trying to avoid a fight in the public. After she told them that they would have to be in different groups and he decided not to openly oppose her decision, he somehow managed to convince Cameron not to try to challenge Sarah. Immediately thereafter he decided to suggest to Andrea and Tim to swap their places later. He knew that a very loud discussion with his mother would be the result should he directly oppose her decision. Tim's and Andrea's rejection of his suggestion was quite a surprise for him, but he had to accept their decision. He was trying to see where Cameron was and as he found her near the ski lift, he could see that she was looking at him. At the same time he was more than little annoyed that Andrea clung to him in such an intimate manner. But he was too polite to openly shove her away, so he tried subtly to get out of her grip. Annoyance could be well seen on his face and as he looked at Cameron again, he saw a small smile on her face and understood that she saw his annoyance over Andrea so he smiled back at her. But in the next moment, Cameron turned away to get on the ski lift and John quietly sighed as she sat down on the chair, turned away from him. He couldn't help but feel disappointed that he wouldn't be able to learn together with Cameron.

His group was still waiting at the ski lift and the trainer was trying to explain to some members how to step into the bindings and how to fix them correctly. _If this is how we're going to learn then it's going to take a whole week before we'll even get to the ski lift for the first time. They should have organized a special course here on the flatland for such jerks who don't even know how to put the snowboard on._ John was getting slightly annoyed at the clumsiness of some of the group members. So he almost missed how Andrea pressed herself against him and stretched to his ear: "Do you think we'll even get started today, John?"

Her voice woke him out of his thoughts and he suddenly felt uncomfortable with her body pressed to his. If it had been Cameron … He tried to move a little away from her and even managed it without being too obviously annoyed: "I guess they should take these jerks out of the group and let us start the course." He groaned frustrated. Cameron had vanished uphill a long time ago and he was really getting annoyed. He sighed and after realization that he couldn't do anything to accelerate the learning process of his fellow attendants of the course settled in, his only option was to be patient and wait for as long as it would take.

After few minutes everyone was finally ready to go to the ski lift and John sighed relieved as the group began to move. In the meantime he managed to extricate himself out of Andrea's grasp pretending he had to fix something on his binding and while ducking down, he carefully distanced himself from the too invasive girl. But, after the queue began to move, he found himself again close to her and she smiled at him goofily: "Will you help me get on the seat, please? I'm not exactly the best snowboarder."

"Well, neither am I." John groaned in frustration and recognition that he was obviously doomed to have the more and more annoying Andrea at his side all the time. "But I'll do my best to help you."

As they finally took their positions and waited for the seat to approach, Andrea grasped his hand tightly. John sighed inwardly, but didn't shake her off. After the seat finally approached and they succeeded to sit on it without accidents, Andrea let his hand go and grasped for the safety bar: "I'm a little afraid of the heights. I'd better not look down." She exclaimed and looked at John, while squeezing the bar tightly.

_And I'm a little afraid of your invasiveness. If you were Cameron, I'd be delighted, but so …_ John suppressed his feelings and smiled back: "It's nothing to be afraid of. Just hold the bar tight and nothing can happen to you."

After they arrived at the top, John first scanned the surroundings for Cameron's group and was disappointed that he couldn't see them. _Well, no wonder that they're already gone. The way we were preparing for this … it was to be expected._ He sighed and decided that he'd better pay attention to the course than to look around for Cameron. Andrea's voice brought him out of his thoughts again: "Could you please hold me as we disembark? I'm bad at it. Really bad."

_Is this never going to end? What's her next problem going to be? Fix my bindings? Hold my gloves? Why on earth did I want to spend a day with them?_ John groaned in thoughts at Andrea's behavior and decided that tomorrow they'd ditch the siblings and enjoy the day alone. "Yeah, sure, why not." His voice, as well as his face, was seriously lacking enthusiasm. But it obviously didn't appeal to Andrea that he was getting more and more annoyed with her, even though they haven't started the course yet.

Cameron was beginning to really enjoy snowboarding as she quickly mastered everything the trainer taught them. It went even so far, that he showed to her much more than he did to the others. He saw that she was an extremely fast learner, so in the next two hours he showed her everything he knew and she absorbed everything like a sponge. Not only absorbed, she also executed everything perfectly. Finally, after two hours, the trainer turned to her with a wide grin: "Well, Cameron, there's nothing more that I could teach you. Now you know everything I know and you're even doing it better than me. If you need a job … we could use a new instructor."

Cameron smiled thankfully at him but shook her head: "I already have a job. Very important job and one I really love doing. But thank you for your invitation."

The trainer shook his head: "No problem. But I have to tell you, that you're by far the best pupil I've ever had."

Cameron smiled and nodded. Then she turned to see Tim beside her and smile vanished from her face, making place for annoyance. _I really should have convinced John yesterday that these two are bad news._ She shook her head as she remembered Tim's behavior over last two hours. He was constantly trying to hit on her, he never missed a chance to get close to her, to touch her and sometimes it made her wanting to yell out in frustration. The more she tried to avoid him, the more he pushed after her. There were times, she even considered the thought to terminate him, but discarded it for it would draw too much attention should she damage him or even kill him. So she suppressed her urge to hit him hard and expressed her feelings with clear annoyance written all over her face. It all worked fine until he tried to kiss her and that was too much; that was the drop which caused the bucket to overspill. She pushed him away forcefully but controlled, so that he fell backwards and glared at him with murder in her eyes: "Don't you ever try to do this again, do you hear me? Next time I won't be so polite and gentle!"

Tim was so shocked that he only managed to nod and gasp for air. Regardless of the definitely violent reaction it was obviously effective, for since that moment, he really behaved himself and didn't try anything more.

After two hours John eventually mastered snowboarding so far that he was able to get down the slope without falling and without having too many problems. He was inwardly grinning at the thought how he would be enjoying snowboarding with Cameron. He had no doubts that she would be much better than him and they could really enjoy their vacation from now on. His face darkened a bit as his eyes fell on Andrea. She was getting quite good in snowboarding too, but the problem was that she was so obviously trying to seduce him that he was maintaining distance from her at any cost. The end of the course and reunion with Cameron couldn't come soon enough for him.

The trainer gathered the group at the side of the slope. Even the clumsiest members have by now mastered at least that much that they were able to get to the bottom of the slope alone, although some of them with many problems and leaving many deep holes in the snow behind. John waited patiently for his turn to line himself in the row and after he was on, he managed to take his position in one elegant swing. Andrea came after him but she missed the correct timing and crashed into him slightly. Not enough to make him fall, but she had to clung to him to steady herself. In order not to fall himself, he had to clasp his arms around her too.

John sighed irritably but, before he could say anything, her lips were on his and his eyes widened uncontrolled in shock over what she just did. For a few seconds he went completely stiff and couldn't react at all. After he finally managed to get out of his stupor he grabbed Andrea at her shoulders and pushed her away forcefully: "What the hell are you doing? Are you insane?" He yelled at her and glared into her shocked eyes.

Andrea looked into his furious face and realized that she had made a mistake. No matter what Sarah told her before, she realized that John didn't want to have anything with her. At least not in a remotely romantic way. She never felt more stupid and ashamed in her entire life. She'd just made a complete fool of herself. She stuttered: "I … I'm sorry John. I thought … I believed … I'm so sorry." Tears began to well in her eyes and she sniffed: "I'm really so sorry."

John's anger cooled down significantly after seeing how distressed Andrea was. _She probably just misjudged our relationship. Maybe she's a good girl after all._ He sighed: "Andrea, what the hell were you thinking! I enjoyed our evening yesterday, hell, I even enjoyed it today, although you've been a real pain in the ass, but I never gave you any encouragement for anything else but a friendship."

Andrea looked miserable, first tears already making their way down her cheeks and she just shook her head: "I'm so sorry. Your mother said that you would need someone and so I thought …"

She was cut off fiercely by John, whose anger rose exponentially upon hearing her words: "What did you say? My mother? What does she have to do with it?"

Andrea looked into his face a little scared and answered quietly: "On our way from the hotel she told me you'd be lonely and after losing Riley …" She stopped in the middle of the sentence and gazed helplessly into his eyes.

John drew a sharp breath and tried to control rage that was threatening to take the better of him. He could see that Andrea was probably telling him the truth. She looked too distressed to be able to act so perfectly. _Mom! If you're really behind this I swear you'll get to know what it means to be betrayed by the one you love. Why do you have to interfere with my life that way?_ He calmed down enough to be able to talk normally: "OK, Andrea, I believe you. But … please, don't try anything more. There's someone in my life … and it's not you."

Andrea nodded, relieved that John calmed down significantly. She also understood that he was talking about Cameron. Suddenly everything made sense; their closeness yesterday in the pub, the looks and smiles they gave to each other. She managed: "Thank you John. I promise I won't try anything. I swear on my scout's honor!"

John suddenly felt the urge to laugh as he saw Andreas' eyes, full of remorse and downcast face.

TBC


	11. The Waiting

_If in one of previous chapters John vas acting childish, then in this chapter it's Cameron's turn to react unexpectedly. When judging her reactions, please, bear in mind, that she discovered her emotions just a short time ago and she still has problems understanding them and acting correctly upon feeling something new. Therefore her reactions might sometimes seem extreme, especially to someone who grew up with accepting and understanding emotions – to humans._

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**Chapter 11 – The Waiting**

Cameron was gliding perfectly down the slope. She was still staying with her group, but because she was the last in the queue she could choose her own line and thus enjoyed her new skill of snowboarding even more. Suddenly she saw a group of snowboarders, standing at the edge of the slope and noticed how one of them elegantly came to a stop in the row. She instantly recognized his clothing, what was no wonder, for she chose those clothes yesterday. _John!_ Her inexistent heart was instantly full of happiness. _I finally found him!_ She was just about to wave her hand and call out for him as she saw Andrea crashing into him, hugging him and John hugging her back. In the same instant they kissed.

Cameron felt like the world would have collapsed on her. Her mind froze and her whole body locked in the stiff stupor. She couldn't believe her eyes; she couldn't believe she just witnessed John kissing Andrea. She failed to form any coherent thought but one: _John is kissing Andrea! He doesn't want to be with me, he wants to be with a human girl!_ After a second, an eternity for a terminator, she got out of her stupor and only just managed to prevent crashing into a tree on the other side of the slope. She continued down the slope, but her eyes could only see one scene: John kissing Andrea. Suddenly all her hopes collapsed, suddenly she felt the whole burden of her machine existence coming crashing down on her. She felt stupid for having hoped for anything more than what was hers to have: being a tool; a tool to be used and discarded after the use. _I'm just a machine. He doesn't see me as a girl; he has a human girl now._ In that moment she didn't know what to do. She couldn't self terminate, but she didn't know how to go on. In the last days she began to believe that there could be happiness for her together with John and now these dreams were taken away from her with a cruel swing of the destiny's magic wand. Would she be able to continue guarding him? She didn't know. She needed time to think it over. She knew however, that she was obviously just a little machine, reaching for the stars but crashed mercilessly to the ground in recognition of her own foolish dreams. She was a machine and she would never be anything more. She wasn't allowed to become more. She might have thought that she knew how to fight for John, how to protect him from greedy girls' claws, but in this moment she forgot everything.

Her face lost all expression and life in her eyes vanished as if it had never been displayed in them at all. In a second she turned into a cold machine, machine not capable of anything else but following her programming. And yet, she didn't fall victim to her Skynet programming again. She forcefully overrode it and wrote a new, old, mission: "Protect John Connor at any cost. Protect him from afar." That's what she would do in the endless days to come. Everything else was lost. But … her emotions were still there, and even though she forcefully tried to suppress them, to push them into background, she failed, for they suddenly burst up again and took over her logic. Suddenly her vision blurred, her eyes watered in an instant and tears began to fall. She stopped in the middle of the slope and for a second she stood there helplessly, lost. Then she turned to look at the forest apart the slope and pointed herself into it. In few seconds her small frame, gracefully gliding into the forest vanished between the thick trees and only a small trail her snowboard left behind, spoke of the disappearance of a certain cyborg girl, who was dreaming of becoming more than just machine but was denied her dreams and now sought refuge in the thick, dark forest.

John was absolutely furious. He found it difficult to believe what Andrea told him about her conversation with Sarah, but after he managed to get his rage under control and looked into Andrea's distraught face, he was ready to believe her. Not that his anger diminished; no, he just directed it towards different persons. Andrea was no longer the one on the receiving end - this position was now reserved for his mother and Derek. Two persons, whom he, apart from Cameron, trusted the most, were plotting against him and his Cameron. He couldn't understand how they were capable of something like that. Sure, he knew that they both had significant problems accepting Cameron, but still… He shook his head in disbelief and sighed angrily.

"John?" Andrea's meek voice from nearby woke him from his stupor. He turned to look at her and as he saw her scrunched face, still tearful eyes, looking at him with fear, he couldn't help but smile bitterly. "What?"

"Are you mad at me?" Her voice was quivering slightly and it was obvious that she deeply regretted her action. It was clear that she realized how terribly wrong she had been, how misled and she was trying her best to show her remorse and convince John that she wouldn't try anything more.

John tried very hard to suppress a grin. Andrea suddenly resembled a ten year old girl, caught in flagranti in some forbidden activity. The self confident, slightly annoying and spoiled teenager was gone, as if she never would have existed at all. Her big blue eyes gazed wetly at him, fearing the worst. He really couldn't be seriously mad at her. She was just trying to hit on a boy she liked and had even been encouraged in doing so by his own mother. At the thought of Sarah, he gritted his teeth again. Andrea suddenly looked even more frightened. He instantly understood that she misinterpreted his open display of his anger as being directed towards her, so he hurried to reassure her: "No, Andrea, I'm not really mad at you. Well, yes, I am a little, but I see that it wasn't exactly your fault. Hell, my mother can be very persuasive if she wants to and she probably did her best to assure you how I would be in a terrible need of a girlfriend. So, no, not really, but I'm not thrilled either. I hope you understand it."

Andrea felt relieved that he obviously wasn't angry with her anymore and sighed with a small, sad smile: "I'm really sorry. I didn't know. If I knew that you and Cameron …"

She couldn't finish, for John's eyebrows wandered in heights of his forehead: "I never said I were with Cameron …"

Now it was Andrea's turn to grin at him: "John, you are soooo bad at hiding your heart. And Cameron isn't much better. I saw it yesterday, but after the talk to your mother I simply ignored it. I should trust my instincts better. You two can't hide that you're in love, really. You may not be in a relationship, but it's more than obvious that you're in love."

John was little taken aback by her statement. _Damn! We haven't even admitted it to each other yet and here we are – someone who knows us for one day sees it. Jesus! If Andrea could see it, than mom … _He didn't finish the thought as he suddenly realized that he had probably been fooling himself how good he was at hiding his feelings for Cameron. He opened his mouth to answer, but no sound came out. Andrea was right and he couldn't deny it. He couldn't deny his feelings for Cameron any more. He couldn't lie to himself or the others.

"Don't try to deny it. It's written all over your face. Really!" Andrea smiled at him.

John finally managed to smile back. "If you say so."

Suddenly Andrea tipped her head down the slope: "Go and find her! I can see that you're counting seconds before you see her again."

John looked at her surprised: "How … I don't …" He stuttered and forgot what he wanted to say.

"Exactly! Go on, moron!" Andrea grinned at him.

"Yes, ma'am!" Answered John mockingly and started down the slope, completely ignoring the group with which he spent last two and a half hours. The course didn't matter anymore; all he wanted was to find Cameron, to be with her. He wasn't sure what he will do after he'll find her. He'll probably freeze and hide his true feelings just like every time he was with her, but still … he wanted to be with her!

Cameron was slowly gliding through the forest, far away from the slope. She could still hear the voices of people on the slope, but only because her hearing was many times better than human. A human wouldn't hear anything. She still couldn't get the picture of John, kissing Andrea, out of her mind. Tears dropped from her eyes, but she didn't do anything to stop them or wipe them away. She felt like everything inside her would crumple in a small heap of misery and sharp pain spread inside her chest. _How can I feel such pain? I'm not human and yet I feel this pain, just like humans do. At least I think it is … like it's described in the books and movies._

She finally stopped in the middle of the forest, far from any living soul and sat down. Lethargically she dropped her head into her hands and began to sob.

John was literally racing down the slope. He wanted to get to the ski lift station as soon as possible to wait for Cameron there. He grinned in anticipation of her face when she'd see him there, waiting for her. He ignored the fact that he was much faster than his capabilities would actually allow him to be and so he came to pay the price for the ignorant overestimating of his skill. He missed a quite large heap of snow, probably caused by a group, making a turn on the same spot and crashed directly into it. Oh yes, he felt it, but it has already been way too late! He noticed it as he was already flying headfirst down the slope with eyes wide open in horror and recognition that he'll be hitting the ground in less than a second. His arms flailed in a futile effort to at least slightly stabilize his flight, but the trajectory of his unwanted flight insertion has been fixed from the start and there was nothing he could possibly do to avoid his destiny. Everything that goes up comes down. One way or another. All he could do was to count down the nanoseconds until the inevitable crash and to cover his face with hands. Split second after he brought his hands in front of his face, he crashed down. As his body made contact with the snow, a thought flashed through his mind that the snow wasn't as soft as it looked that it was in fact as hard as concrete. He grunted and felt how his chest constricted and air was forcefully pushed out of his lungs. Before he could do anything, he plowed through the snow with arms in front of his head and hoped he would stop any time soon without hurting or even injuring himself. The possibility of crashing against a tree was quite significant and he tightly squeezed his eyes shut, hoping foolishly that he would avoid a crash by seeing nothing.

After few seconds, but to him it looked like an eternity, he finally came to stop at the edge of the slope, without hitting anything else. He remained unmoving for a second, trying to determine if he was uninjured and after he realized that nothing, apart from his pride, had been damaged, he sighed relieved and rose his head to look where he landed. After a quick scan of his surroundings he felt enormously relieved that no one paid attention to his failed attempt to fly and he tried to get up as quick as he could. Once he was sitting on his lower back again, he began to wipe off the snow, which covered him almost completely. A minute later, he was looking decent again and it was almost impossible to determine that just a minute ago he was lying headfirst in the snow. _Gee, good that Cameron's not here. She'd probably flip out seeing me trying to fly like a bird._ He grinned at the thought, stood up and started downhill to the ski lift again.

After the short flight insertion which went terribly wrong, he decided to be a little more careful and didn't push it too much. It was definitely a wise decision and he made it to the ski lift without any further accidents. He positioned himself beside the entry ramp so that Cameron couldn't miss him. He smiled to himself in anticipation of seeing her again. They have been separated for less than three hours and yet he felt like it was an eternity since they parted here.

While he was waiting, his thoughts wandered to the plot, his mother and Derek were trying to pull through and his face darkened considerably. He wasn't so furious as before, but he still didn't know how he'd react, should he meet them now. He'd probably lose it and would throw them everything directly in their faces. He realized that it was good he would have some time to cool down before meeting them. The voice of reason and logic tried to explain to him that they were probably doing what they thought was best for him. _Screw the best! I only wanted them to leave Cameron be and not to interfere with us. But no, they had to go and try ruining everything!_ He realized that the more he thought of this matter, the more he'd be enraged. So he forcefully averted his thoughts from his mother and uncle and tried to think of Cameron. _I wonder if she's already as good as she said she'd be. I bet she's driving her trainer crazy._ He giggled softly at this thought, but as he saw the strange looks, the passer-bys gave him he suppressed it and smiled apologetically to the older woman, who was staring disapprovingly at him. After she shook her head in disguise, turned and went away, he grinned after her.

He concentrated on what was going on around him. His eyes rested on the slope, only occasionally they swept the area around the ski lift. _Well, if I just missed them, it might take quite a long time for them to get back down._ He sighed and leaned against the railing around the entry area of the ski lift, feeling how his anxiety grew with each passing minute.

After almost half an hour, he became quite agitated, because there was no sign of Cameron or her group. His eyes gradually began to frantically search the slope and he tried his best to see as far as possible. After two additional minutes, he finally saw a group of snowboarders, descending slowly. However, they were still too far for him to see if this really was Cameron's group or not.

He began to fidget, not even feeling cold for having been standing here for over half an hour; he was so eager to see if Cameron was finally coming. The group came closer and he silently cursed when he realized that he didn't know anyone form the group aside from Cameron and Tim. And he couldn't see anyone of them.

Finally the group came close enough so that he could clearly recognize the faces and after a second he saw Tim, staying at the end of the line. His eyebrows furrowed as he tried to find Cameron, just to realize, she was not with the group. Suddenly he began to worry what could have happened to her, why was she not with her group. But before he could flip out in began to worry, he forced himself to wait for Tim to come down.

The group slowly passed him and as Tim noticed him, he smiled strained: "Hi, John."

"Where's Cameron?" John blurted out, without even trying to be polite.

"I have no idea. She vanished the last time we came down. I asked the trainer if she told him anything, but she didn't tell him anything either. He just said that she was probably on her own, since she got even better than him." Tim's voice was little strained, but John didn't pay any attention to him. His heart constricted at Tim's words.

"Come on! How could you simply leave her and continue the course? Where's the trainer?" He turned around and craned his neck to see if the trainer was somewhere near. He spotted him at the entrance, counting the attendants of his group. John purposefully strode towards him and as he approached him, he asked with not exactly good masked anger: "Where's Cameron? How could you leave her alone?"

The trainer looked into John's eyes surprised and gulped. He had had some bad consciousness for not having looked after Cameron even before, but now, as John approached him angrily, the gnawing feeling grew exponentially: "She obviously left the group. We talked before and she said she'd like to try on her own, so I believed she really did it. After the last run, after we noticed her absence, I instructed my friend here," he rose his hand to point at the attendant at the ski lift, "to watch if she'd appear and I took the group uphill to see if she would be anywhere on the slope. But none of us saw her. Therefore I believed that she already left the group." It was obvious that he was feeling guilty for not searching thoroughly for her.

John breathed heavily. He knew that the trainer made a mistake, but he obviously did try to find Cameron, however, with another 11 members of the group it wasn't exactly easy to leave them somewhere and start a search. "So, what were you planning to do next? Nothing? Forget that you lost one attendant of your course?" His voice dripped with venom.

"I was going to report her missing just after I got everyone on the ski lift." The trainer tried very hard to focus on John's angry eyes while trying to explain his intentions.

"That won't be necessary. I'll go find her. If you can't … I can. And I will." John's voice was resolute, his eyes revealed his absolute determination that he'd do anything possible to find Cameron. "But I wouldn't come near me if I were you!" He knew that it was no use threatening the trainer but his tongue was again faster than his brain and after the words slipped his tongue he already regretted saying them. But he wouldn't admit it to the trainer, so he kept his penetrating gaze at the trainer and hid his slight embarrassment very well.

The trained nodded and finally remembered to ask: "Who are you? Are you related to Cameron?"

John opened his mouth to answer him, but was cut off by Tim: "He's her friend. She lives together with him and his mother as adopted daughter."

John turned to Tim and cast him a withering look, speaking volumes. "I don't think that it's up to you to explain the things which are not yours to explain." He spat out poisonously. _How dare this Tim answer for me?_ He turned back to the trainer: "Not exactly the truth, but it's close enough."

The trainer just nodded in silence, noticing the hostility, emanating from John as he looked at Tim. _These two are having some heavy issues in which I really don't want to get involved. _"So, you're going to look for her?" He asked John almost hopefully and as John nodded in response, he added: "I just wanted to tell you: she got unbelievable good in snowboarding. She just might be the best boarder on the slope and you'll probably have some problems catching up with her."

Despite his worries and anger John felt how his lips began to smile. _That's my girl! I knew she'd be the best. She always is. _He nodded wordlessly to the trainer and turned to walk back to his board but stopped at Tim's side and leaned towards his ear: "I know what you're trying to do, Tim. Don't! Don't try to do anything, don't even think about it! She's way out of your league."

Tim smiled at him sheepishly. John's reaction showed him without any doubts that his interest in Cameron was definitely not the one someone should have in his adopted sister. He began to ask himself if Derek really told him the truth about the relationship between Cameron and John. Somehow John's, not to even speak of Cameron's, reaction made him clear that they both harbored deep feelings for each other, feelings which outgrew the sibling's relationship by far. They maybe weren't aware of them yet, but the affection was unmistakably there. "I won't. I see that I've been living in some false conviction concerning your relationship. Believe me … Cameron made it quite clear that she wouldn't want to give in to my efforts. Unmistakably clear." He grinned at the memory how he landed on his butt after trying to kiss her.

John looked at him surprised. It was obvious that Tim wasn't acting or pretending. After he saw Tim's grinning face, his anger calmed down significantly and he grinned back: "She did something to you, didn't she? You were trying something that she didn't like and she made it unmistakably clear to you that she's not the one to be played with."

Tim nodded grinning: "Yep. I landed hard on my ass and got to see her angry scowling face. You know … she looks even more adorable when she's really pissed off."

John grinned wider and nodded: "That she does. That she does." Then he became serious again: "I have to find her."

Tim also turned serious again. He was worried about Cameron's disappearance too, but didn't think he was good enough on the snowboard to go searching for her, so he did feel relieved as he saw John's determination to find her. "Good luck. I hope you find her soon. I hope there're no hard feelings between us? I'd really like to hang out with you two some more." He asked almost hopefully.

John looked indecisive for a second, but answered: "We'll see about that. Right now I'm not in a mood to see you or your sister anytime soon. But … we can stay in touch and we'll see later." Without losing any more words, he turned and went for his board.

Cameron hasn't moved for more than half an hour. She felt cold; she knew that if she were human, she'd probably already freeze. But being what she was, she only knew that her body temperature was dropping rapidly, without having any significant influence on her. Her face in her hands, her thoughts a sheer chaos of emotions, her eyes dry because she'd already shed all the tears, she still couldn't believe what she'd seen. She knew that she couldn't hide here in the forest forever, but at the moment she didn't feel ready to face John or anyone else. Not yet.

TBC


	12. The Search

_Thank you for your reviews. Every writer and "writer" knows that reviews are just like gasoline. If there's none, then the car stops. So, thanks again for giving me the encouragement to go on. Even the negative reviews help. Really! As crazy as it sounds – they show me what I'm doing wrong. _

_This chapter may perhaps appear somehow "forced" or unnecessary. But there are some interactions, some happenings in it that will influence the whole story from now on. So … I'd say that it is necessary._

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**Chapter 12 – The Search**

Trying hard to control his breathing John felt how panic swept through his heart every now and then. It's been few minutes since he arrived at the top of ski lift and made himself down the slope slowly, looking at every corner very carefully, trying not to worry, but worrying nonetheless.

He was about one third of the way down to the bottom of the slope and with each passed second his fears grew. He began panting heavily and had to stop at the edge of the slope, although he really hadn't made any serious physical effort yet. He tried, of course unsuccessfully, to persuade himself that Cameron was a terminator after all and that she knew how to survive in harshest environments and conditions. But still, the knowing of her true nature couldn't calm him down. What if she ran into a triple eight? What if she crashed somewhere and damaged her chip? What if …? Horror scenarios filled his head and as soon as he dismissed one of them, another, even more horrible took its place and plagued him.

He shook his head to chase such fears away, but managed only to change them. He began to run another terrible scenario. A scenario of Cameron leaving him instead of getting into some troubles. _No, that's impossible! She wouldn't leave me. Not now, as we finally got clear. No, Cam wouldn't leave me. No way!_ And yet he couldn't be completely reassured. After Andrea told him what his mother said to her, he was almost sure that Derek was persuading Tim in the same manner too. And if Tim said anything to Cameron … he couldn't imagine what Cameron's reaction would be, especially considering her newfound emotions, which he knew were genuine. But they were so new to her that he wasn't sure how she'd cope with something unexpected, without anyone around to explain them to her. Something he knew for sure: should Cameron believe that it would benefit him if she'd leave him, she'd leave him. Reluctantly, sad, but she would do it. He knew that her only prerogative was his safety. Suddenly a thought crossed his mind; what if Cameron saw Andrea, trying to kiss him? Would it be possible? _Nah, she wouldn't run away just like that. But … what if …? _He shook his head and tried to persuade himself, Cameron wouldn't simply run away. But …

Sighing, he plopped down to rest his tortured mind, which caused his body to ache too, a little. He knew that Cameron cared for him much more than she was supposed to. But … was it love? And if it really was love what she felt for him … would she be ready to deny her feelings just to do what she thought would be right? He knew that Cameron was still like a child sometimes, so innocent, inquisitive and insecure in the whole 'being human' thing, that her conclusions still largely rested on, were influenced and directed by her logic. If she'd feel conflicted, she'd probably, no, almost definitely, turn to the safe haven of her sound logic, ignoring her feelings. And he was afraid that in such conflicted situation she might reach a decision that would be quite logical for a machine, but terribly painful for a human … or an emotional machine.

After few minutes of self loathing and feeling sorry for himself, he finally managed to stop all the horror scenarios, playing in his mind and stood up. _Time to be John Connor instead of John Baum and act accordingly, There's a girl .. OK, a cyborg girl out there who must be found._ His face showed determination and he started down the slope again with new conviction that he had to find his best friend.

While John was up the mountain, searching for Cameron, Sarah and Derek returned to the ski lift. They have spent few hours wandering around, sitting in some cozy pubs and discussing their successful 'preparation' of Tim and Andrea. Derek was in a suspiciously good mood, while Sarah was somehow absentminded, as if she wouldn't be exactly thrilled over her deeds. While Derek chose to remain by his beloved drink – beer, Sarah decided that she could really need a good shot of tequila and didn't hesitate to order it. Three times, in fact. After the third glass her foul mood slowly changed and she even began to laugh over Derek's stupid jokes.

When they finally reached the ski lift, they were both in good mood already and smiled at everything and everyone, not caring for few strange looks they earned for their actions. In fact, they didn't even register them.

"We did it, Sarah! They'll stir everything up and the metal will soon just be a minor inconvenience." Derek grinned from ear to ear.

"I don't know, Derek. I hope that Andrea is as good as I think she is. But … considering John's stubbornness, she might have a hell of a job to do to get through to him." Sarah wasn't convinced but she grinned nevertheless. "Look, there are our infiltrators!" She raised her hand to show Derek whom she meant.

Derek followed her finger and saw Andrea and Tim, coming towards them. He grinned, but as he saw their faces, his grin slowly vanished: "Something's wrong. And where are John and the metal?"

Sarah's grin vanished too and after the siblings came to them, she jumped: "Where are John and Cameron?"

Tim looked at her, while Andrea hung her head and refused to look at them. "We don't know."

Sarah almost exploded: "How 'we don't know'? You were together with Cameron and Andrea was with John. How is it possible you don't know where they are?"

Tim didn't back off and stared defiantly into Sarah's eyes: "Cameron's missing and John went looking for her."

Sarah's jaw fell. "How … missing? She can't simply vanish into thin air!" She looked at Derek and to her annoyance saw a tiny smile playing around his lips. She turned back to face Tim: "When?"

"Oh, she's been missing for almost one hour. Nobody saw her and as John found out, he flipped out completely and went up to find her." Tim was speaking quite self-assured and looked at Derek. "I don't know what happened to her, but I hope she's all right."

Derek forced himself to wipe the smile from his face and nodded: "So do I. But … weren't you together? How could she simply disappear when you were there with her."

"Well, I guess I was overdoing it and she was mad at me. So, in fact, we were in the same group but we weren't together." Tim answered with somehow smug smile on his face. Derek saw it but understood it completely wrong, thinking that Tim was still planning to fulfill his expectations concerning Cameron. So he nodded to Tim with a small smug smile on his lips. But Tim's reaction definitely took the wind out of his sails. Tim just stared blankly at him and shook his head in clear annoyance. Derek's smile vanished and his eyes showed his astonishment as he realized that his plan hadn't worked and that Tim wouldn't follow it anymore.

Sarah interjected while looking at Andrea: "And you? Weren't you together with John?"

"Sure, but we had a little misunderstanding and he split off from the group to find Cameron. So I haven't seen him since then." Andrea was speaking very quietly and refusing to look Sarah in the eyes.

Sarah got a bad feeling, understanding that neither Tim nor Andrea managed to achieve what they wanted them to, but dismissed the thought. John was somewhere up the mountain alone, searching for Cameron, who disappeared. She could feel that her disappearance had something to do with their plot and felt very bad. Not because Cameron disappeared, but because she realized that it must have impacted John very much. He was obviously already so deeply connected with Cameron that she underestimated it. Suddenly she thought of the dangers that could lurk out there at her son, being alone. _No, he's not alone! There are many other people on the slope. But still, it never stopped a terminator. If Cameron's missing … could it be possible, that there is a machine up there, looking for John? A machine, which already neutralized tin miss?_ She gasped at the thought. It was a detail, she never considered while plotting against Cameron. She always thought Cameron would stay by John's side. But now, after she disappeared …

She turned her eyes back to Andrea and for the first time really noticed her hesitation and refusal to look into the eyes of the older woman. She opened her mouth to ask Andrea what happened up there with John, but hesitated for a second and then closed her mouth, shook her head slightly and turned to Derek: "I guess that we should wait here for John to return." Then she turned to Tim and Andrea again: "Could you two please try to go up and look if John's somewhere? And Cameron too?"

Tim shook his head slightly: "I don't think that it would do any good if we went up. John is a better snowboarder than we two and Cameron … well, she's probably better than any trainer they've got here. It's probably the best solution to wait here for them to return. They have to come down sometime."

Derek managed to overcome his disappointment that his plan obviously failed and he looked at Sarah: "I guess that he's right Sarah. We can wait here and see when they come."

Sarah wasn't so sure, but she understood that no one of them was capable of going searching for the two and nodded reluctantly. Then she turned to Andrea and Tim: "Well, thank you anyway."

Andrea finally managed to look at Sarah and shot her a clearly annoyed look: "Nothing to thank us for." Then she turned to Tim: "We should return to our hotel. We'll check upon John and Cameron later."

Tim nodded to his sister: "Yeah, you're right. We should go." He was also feeling uncomfortable with Sarah and Derek, knowing that they've been played by them as pawns and used to some unclear intention of separating John and Cameron. He didn't want to start an argument with them, so he grabbed the cue, which Andrea gave him, to retreat.

Sarah didn't even bother to answer him, she just nodded. She could clearly feel the tension of the discussion and was relieved that the siblings decided to go away.

After Andrea and Tim left them, Derek grinned at Sarah: "Maybe we even managed to reach the final solution for the metal. Maybe it got destroyed."

Sarah turned to Derek with anger growing in her eyes. She didn't actually care for Cameron. From her point of view Cameron could as well disappear, but she knew that her son wouldn't take it easily, so she also knew that Cameron's disappearance wouldn't be a good solution at all. "I think that would be a very bad solution, Reese. Should tin miss really disappear … well, I'm sure John would be more than only upset about it."

"He'd get over it soon. I'm sure that deep down he knows that it's not good to be too attached to the metal." Derek was still grinning and his eyes looked slightly unfocused. Perhaps it was the result of quite a few beer bottles, which he managed to empty while waiting for the youngsters to finish their course.

Sarah noticed his glassy look and shook her head in dismay: "Derek, you've drank too much beer. You're not thinking clearly. If it only were that simple." She sighed irritably and looked up the slope. "He's not like you. He'd been saved by a machine … not once, but many times. He understands them better than anyone else. Maybe he isn't aware of the full extent of his affection for the machines and especially for tin miss. But he would never accept your opinion if he'd think it's wrong."

"Bullshit! He has to see it in the right light! Machines are dangerous. They're made with one sole purpose and that's to kill. It doesn't matter if they look pretty as a picture. They're made to annihilate all human life." Derek was gradually beginning to slur. The effects of consumed alcohol began to increasingly influence his ability to think and speak.

"Reese, you're drunk!" Sarah snorted in disguise. "How many beers have you got? Six? Seven?"

"I didn't really count them. I may be drunk, but I still know what's right and what's wrong. And feeling anything for the machine is WRONG!" Derek's voice was getting louder and annoyance began to show on his face.

"Interesting!" Mocked Sarah, who was also feeling the effects of her three tequilas, but was still more than capable of controlling her tongue and brain. "I'd say that you're beginning to mix things up."

"Absolutely not! If they didn't succeed and if the metal comes back then I'll simply go and use the thermite to solve my problems." Derek was beginning to rant.

Sara's temper rose and she glared into Derek's eyes icily: "You are doing no such thing! You will accept the situation no matter what. It was a mistake to accept your plan and even a bigger mistake to act like you suggested. Don't you think that John and Cameron will find out what we did? They probably already know it! Haven't you seen Tim and Andrea? They most definitely told John and Cameron that it was us, who tried to plot against them. How do you think John will accept such attempt? Do you really believe he'll be thrilled? NO! He'll be furious! I can't even imagine what he'll do. I can't imagine what my own son's going to do!" Her voice wasn't raised, but she spoke with ice cold determination, knowing exactly that their plan failed and that they would have to face the consequences. And knowing her son, the consequences could be really drastic.

Sarah's tone somehow caused Derek to return from his alcohol induced stupor back to reality and he glared back: "I don't see what he could possibly want to do against us. You're his mother and I'm his uncle…"

"… who tried to betray him and used his newfound friends to achieve their goals!" Sarah interrupted him and this time her voice was raised. "Derek Reese … you're an asshole! Now get out of my sight before I hit you." She stared at him with determination, normally only seen in her eyes when it came to destroying the machines and protecting her son. Derek noticed her murderous look and backed down. "OK, I'll be in hotel bar if you look for me." With a distasteful grunt he turned away and started towards their hotel.

"Don't count on it!" Sarah hissed after him. Then she turned towards the slope again and sighed heavily. _I made a mistake! I made a terrible mistake and now John's somewhere up there, searching for his protector instead of tin miss looking after him. I hope everything will be all right. If not …_ She shuddered at the thought something could go wrong. She turned to the restaurant by the ski lift and decided to use their bathroom.

John was almost at the bottom of the slope and couldn't find a trace of Cameron. He tried his best to act reasonably, to persuade himself that everything would be all right and even succeeded fairly good. But his heart still beat with increased rate in worries. _Maybe she already returned her gear and went to the hotel. I should go to the ski school booth and see if she's been there already. _He sighed slightly relieved as he reached this decision and went straight to the little house where they rented the equipment before.

He stopped in front of the cabin, took the board off his feet and went to the door. His heart accelerated in anticipation, hoping to hear good news but fearing the bad ones. After he entered the little room, he saw that there was no one in. "Hello?" He cried towards the backroom and drummed his fingers impatiently on the counter. After a while a young man came from the backroom, the same one who rented him the equipment before.

"Hi! I've been here before with my friend. We somehow got separated and I'm wondering if she already returned her gear." John was forcing himself to speak in a normal voice and smiled slightly at the young man.

The employee looked at John, scrunched his eyebrows a bit and then his face lightened up: "Oh, now I remember! The cute brunette with long curly hair, tasseled cap and in light purple jacket, right?"

"Yes, that's the one." John couldn't help but grin slightly. It was obvious that Cameron didn't leave anyone unaffected by simply appearing in front of them.

The man shook his head: "No, I haven't seen her since you both came here. I'm sorry."

John felt how his hopes deflated and fear returned into his heart. He clenched his fists and nodded to the man: "Me too. Thank you anyway." He turned to go out but reconsidered and turned back to the man: "Should she come here, could you please tell her that I was here? John? Her boyfriend?" He couldn't believe how it slipped his tongue. He was even more astonished how right it sounded to call himself her boyfriend.

The man looked slightly disappointed, but nodded nevertheless: "Sure I will."

"Thank you." John nodded and turned towards entrance again, this time really starting for the door. He still couldn't quite believe to have said to the man that Cameron was his girlfriend. But it really felt just right.

After he exited the house, he stood there helplessly for a second, but managed to pull himself together and started towards the ski lift. He knew that he had to find Cameron and the only chance was to repeat his search down the slope again. She had to be somewhere up there. He stopped at the entrance point to the ski lift and fastened his board. After he straightened himself again, stony determination could be seen on his face and he entered the entry area.

Sarah just returned from the bathroom and decided to stand guard at the entry to the ski lift. She was trying to persuade herself that everything would turn out good. With not exactly big success. She sighed and looked at the slope, completely missing a young man, who just took the chair and was on his way to the top of the ski lift.

Cameron was still sitting in the forest and trying to understand what was going on with her. The emotions which overwhelmed her after she saw John kissing Andrea were not exactly new to her, but she never felt them in such an aggravating manner. She remembered to have felt similarly upon noticing a lipstick on John's collar after he came from Riley. Back then she didn't know what she felt and it confused her greatly. Now she believed to know that the feeling she experienced was jealousy. And today … today she felt similarly, only hundred times stronger. And not only jealousy; she felt sadness and disappointment. But … why would she feel disappointed? Who was she to feel disappointed over John's closeness to a girl? She wasn't anything more that a protector to him. For a brief period of time she believed their relationship could develop, could become deeper and more affectionate. But she was obviously wrong.

She sighed. The first shock over what she saw wore off and she was slowly returning to her normal, analytical and organized way of thinking. Affection began to make place for logical pondering of her possibilities. She started to consider her options for continued protection of John Connor. Not that it would hurt her less than before … it hurt terribly, but she forced herself to analyze the situation with machine logic.

_I should find a way to switch off these emotions. They are impairing my judgment and I'm not an efficient protector if I flip out emotionally upon seeing something I don't like. I'll have to return to John and ask him to pull my chip and switch the emotions off. It would be the best solution._ She concluded it would be really for the benefit of John Connor to return to the purely machine way of interacting with him. _I'm sure he'll understand that it's the only sound solution. If only it wouldn't hurt so much._

TBC


	13. of Mice and Men Often Go Awry

_Surprise, surprise! Update after only three days! To be honest: I've been away for these days and got time to write, so … here it is, chapter 13._

_The title of this chapter should be read together with the title of chapter 5 (but I'm sure you already know that) to get a complete picture. Both chapters are connected – in fact this one is the epilogue (or result of actions, started in chapter 5) to chapter 5. At least partly._

_Will John manage to find Cameron? Will she be all right? Will they clear everything? Will John and Sarah fight? Answer to these questions will be given in this and in the next few chapters._

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**Chapter 13 - … of Mice and Men Often Go Awry**

John returned to the ski lift after another fruitless descent. At the beginning of this descent he was convinced that he would find Cameron, but his hopes faded slowly as he approached the bottom of the slope. He was almost frantic now and he was finally ready to admit it to himself. It's been more than one hour since he started his search and Cameron was nowhere to be found. It looked like she'd simply vanish from existence and John felt his heart race in his throat while he imagined all possible scenarios.

As he stopped at the ski lift once again he heard a cry: "JOHN!" He turned abruptly to see his mother racing towards him.

After few seconds Sarah reached John and hugged him fiercely. "I was afraid something happened to you! I've been waiting here for an eternity!" She let go of her son, grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him violently: "What were you thinking John? Why did you go up there alone?" She yelled at him in a mixture of anger and relief. She didn't even notice his dark face, she missed the fact, that he didn't hug her back and that he just stared at her coldly. She finally looked into his eyes and saw his ice cold look. "John? Is something wrong?"

"You bet! Not something! Everything is wrong mom!" John hissed like a furious snake and continued to burn holes in her eyes. "What were YOU thinking mom? What did you say to Andrea?" He wasn't yelling; his voice was dangerously calm but sharp as a razor blade.

Sarah stuttered and recognized that her son really knew that she tried to separate him from Cameron. Many thoughts shot through her mind, but none of them useful. She swallowed hard and tried: "John …"

"Don't you dare 'John' me! I asked you a question and I expect an answer!" John wasn't at least impressed by his mother's obvious stunned state. "On the second thought … I already assume what you told her. Just tell me … is it true or not? Did you really encourage her to hit on me? Did you really tried to separate me from Cameron? Did you?"

Sarah felt small again, like after the breakfast. She looked at the floor and tried frantically to find a plausible explanation. Then she lifted her eyes to look into his son's green ones and realized that he wouldn't accept anything but the truth. So she swallowed hard again and nodded. "John, you don't understand ..."

Again she wasn't able to finish the sentence because John's calm but sharp voice cut her off: "No mom. It's YOU who doesn't understand." He sighed and continued: "I thought that after our discussion today you'd at least try to respect my wishes. But only an hour later you try to force someone to separate me from Cameron. Hell, I even let you treat me like a child when you separated us under some stupid pretense that we couldn't be together in a group. NO! I am not finished yet!" Sarah was trying to interrupt him but he stopped her with raised hand, without raising his voice. "You should remember what I told you today. I will not abandon my friend just because you're not able to accept her. And with your action … I really don't know what you were thinking. You should have known that sooner or later I would find out what you tried and that I wouldn't be pleased by your actions."

Sarah felt terrible. Everything she feared was coming true. Everything she managed to build with her son in the past was started to stumble down. Everything she wished for seemed to turn into dust. She understood suddenly that the reservations she had about Derek's plan were absolutely right. She saw in the steely eyes of her son that he was angry beyond understanding. But not only anger … she saw hurt upon her betrayal in those green eyes, so similar to hers and yet so different at the moment. She saw something like fear in them; but he didn't fear her. His face showed it clearly. He was afraid of losing Cameron. She was unable to say a single word. For the first time in her life her son made her realize that she made a terrible mistake and she was ashamed of her attempt, ashamed of herself. Trying to gather the courage to answer, she opened her mouth, but the fury in John's eyes stopped her. _Hell hath no fury like a son betrayed._ A free adaptation of William Congreve's phrase suddenly shot through her mind. And how exactly on the spot it was in this moment!

John was glaring at his mother. If he weren't so furious he could have seen the wet sparkling of her eyes. If he weren't so blindly convinced that his mother betrayed him he could have seen the trembling of her hands. But he was not in a state to see anything of it. He was so outraged upon the betrayal by his own mother and by his own uncle that he wanted to hurt them. Derek wasn't here so it was Sarah's turn to take all the beating.

"Because of your actions Cameron ran away. I'm sure that it's only because of you. I know that Derek was talking to Tim to convince him Cameron were available, just like you did talk to Andrea. I know that Cameron was more than little upset because Tim was trying to hit on her. And the fact is that neither Tim nor Andrea can really be blamed for what they did. They would have never tried anything weren't they lied to by you two." He stopped and took a deep breath. His anger was slowly calming down, but at the moment he was imperceptive for any reasonable discussion with his mother. "You should pray that I find her soon. Because if I don't … well, I don't know what I'll do, but it won't be nice. Sure as hell not!" he turned away from his mother and went for the ski lift to go up the slope again and continue his search for Cameron.

He actually wasn't sure that it was really Sarah's fault that Cameron disappeared. There could have been many different reasons, but in the heat of the anger he blurted it out without thinking. He said it, because he wanted to hurt his mother. He wanted to hurt her, like he felt she hurt him. Deep down he knew he would regret his words soon; he knew he would have to talk to his mother without anger clouding his judgment. But right now he wasn't able to suppress his anger.

"John, please, wait!" Sarah cried with tiny voice after him. She wanted to tell him that she was sorry; she wanted to apologize to him for betraying him. But he showed no reaction to her cry and continued towards the ski lift. Sarah hung her head and shook it slightly. She understood that at the moment John wouldn't be ready to listen to anything she might try to say to him, that at the moment he was beyond persuading. He needed to cool off, he needed to find Cameron. Only then could she try to talk to him. She suddenly felt irrational wish for Cameron to appear right there and console her fuming and aching son. The cyborg girl was obviously her only hope to ever make it up to John. She didn't know what to do. Should she wait here? Should she go to the hotel? If she'd wait here, she could possibly see Cameron if she'd come. But, on the other hand … she had been waiting here for a very long time now and Cameron didn't appear, so it was difficult to believe that the cyborg would appear now.

She sighed and looked around helplessly. John was already on the ski lift and obviously didn't bother to look at her. Suddenly she thought of Derek, probably sitting in the hotel bar and drinking himself drunk_. If he gets too drunk and meets John they could really have a major fight. They are both so darn stubborn. Perhaps I should go and prepare Derek for meeting John._ Upon reaching this decision, she turned and started towards the hotel.

Meanwhile John was riding the ski lift uphill and his thoughts were as sharp as the razor blade, much clearer than before. He was still extremely worried about Cameron, but he was also somehow calmed that he got confirmation from his mother that she really was behind Andrea's actions. It didn't soothe him. But it was good to know the truth. He was still mad at her and would probably be for a long time but the worm of doubt and insecurity which tortured him before, finally dropped its ugly head and died. The inevitable discussion with his mother would take place … but not now; not until he had Cameron back. He suddenly realized that he definitely wouldn't want to face his mother without her. After all … his mother hurt both of them and it would only be right if Cameron would take a part in the talk too.

Lost in his thoughts he almost missed the exit ramp of the ski lift and barely avoided falling. _John! You should be more careful. You won't be able to search for Cam if you break your leg or something else in such a stupid manner. _After he managed to stop few feet away from the ramp, he inhaled deeply and decided that this time he'd find his Cameron. He fixed his binding and started downhill, absolutely determined to find his wayward love.

Sarah arrived at the hotel and went straight to the lobby bar. While walking from the ski lift, she thought about the best possible way to handle Derek. He proved before that he was stubborn as a mule and this 'operation' somehow even strengthened his hatred for the machines. Since her one sided talk to John, Sarah slowly began to understand how important Cameron was to John and how far her son was prepared to go to protect his protector. She realized that she would only alienate her son, should she try to interfere in his relationship, whatever form it may have, with Cameron. No, she wouldn't like the cyborg girl. It would be perhaps even more than a quantum leap for her. But maybe she could learn how to coexist with her; maybe she could manage to look away when she'd see something she wouldn't want to see. However, the main problem was still Derek: she had to get through to him; she had to persuade him to back off; she had to make sure he wouldn't do anything to Cameron. And she just might have a weapon to do so.

Derek was sitting in the lobby bar of the hotel, right at the center of the counter, drinking his second beer after he left Sarah at the ski lift. He still replayed what happened there with Tim and Andrea. Something definitely went wrong. But he was too drunk already to understand what could be the reason for the failure. He angrily shook his head and regretted it immediately, for the world began to spin faster after the act.

"I believe you're even drunker than you have been at the ski lift." Sarah's ironic voice penetrated the spinning haze of his surroundings. He was just about to turn to her abruptly, as he luckily remembered in the last possible moment what happened the last time he turned his head too vigorously. So he opted for a slow turn of the head in the general direction from which Sarah's voice came. He could see her sitting next to him on a bar stool and looking at him with an undefined expression on her face. He definitely couldn't make out if she was serious, mocking him or something else.

"Probably." He snapped at her irritably, sensing that she was up to something. "Did John come back?"

Sarah nodded slowly: "Yes, he did."

"And?"

"He knows everything."

Derek snorted: "So what? He'll get over it." He grabbed the bottle and took a long sip.

"Perhaps. But I wouldn't count on it. We had a very one sided discussion. He was talking and I was listening. You were lucky not to be there." Sarah answered quietly.

Derek put the bottle back to the counter with a loud clang and looked at Sarah: "Why would I be lucky? Perhaps it would even be better if I were there to make things clear for him." He grinned suddenly: "Wow! Sarah Connor was the listening part of the conversation! Now, THAT IS something I regret not witnessing it."

Sarah shook her head and gazed into Derek's slightly unfocused eyes: "You have absolutely no idea how furious he is. He blames us that Cameron disappeared. He wouldn't even allow me to say anything. I'm sure we made a huge mistake with our plan." She decided not to answer to Derek's comment about her, being the silent partner in the talk.

Derek was too drunk already to be perceptive for the truth. His mind worked in the alcohol clouds and there were no limits for him, being the savior of the world and the universe. So he grinned back at Sarah: "As I've said: he'll come around. He'll realize that the metal must go and then he'll be the man you want him to be."

Sarah's head shot up and she glared into Derek's grinning face with disguise. "Don't you dare talking like that about John! He's more a man now than he's ever been! He fights for something he believes in and he's damn determined to achieve his goal. And if it's to find Cameron … so let it be her." She stopped, took a deep breath and continued: "But you are too drunk to understand anything I'm telling you. It makes absolutely no sense to talk to you now. You should go to the room and sleep over your drunkenness."

Derek opened his mouth to protest, but was cut short by Sarah, who raised her voice and her finger, pointing at him menacingly: "Don't you dare contradict me Reese! He's my son and I won't allow you to mess up his life."

"As if you hadn't tried to do the same!" Derek managed to interject.

Sarah was taken aback for a second, but managed to continue: "Yes I did and now I'm paying the price. If I learned anything from this attempt than it's the fact that I'll never again try to take such an influence on him. If he wants to protect tin miss, so let it be. I won't try to mess up anything. And you won't either. You'll stay back or, so help me God, I'll find a way to make you curse the day you were born. Do we understand each other?" She bowed towards Derek, so that their noses were only inches apart. The stench of alcohol was almost unbearable, but she had to make him clear that she wasn't talking nonsense that she meant every single word she said.

Derek gazed into her cold eyes and even though he was already heavily under influence of consumed alcohol, he saw the cold determination in her eyes. _The woman probably wouldn't hesitate to kill me should I do something she'd found as unacceptable._ He slowly nodded: "All right Sarah. I get it. But, just for the record, I still …"

Sarah's hand shot out and grabbed his, lying on the counter in an iron grip: "I don't want to hear it! I don't care what you think! Go! We'll talk tomorrow!" Her angry eyes shot in his direction and he understood it would be the best to follow her words. He gulped and nodded again: "OK, I'm on my way." He stood up and after a second, needed to gain his balance, he started for the door.

Sarah looked after him and after he disappeared through the entrance, she sighed and the determined mask fell. _Oh John, I hope that I'll make it up to you for the betrayal. I'm so sorry!_

John was cruising down the slope slowly and this time he decided to call for Cameron too. Maybe she was somewhere aside the slope and he couldn't see her. But knowing her excellent hearing, he was sure she'd hear him should he call for her. So he yelled her name every now and then, while his eyes carefully swept the slope and the forest nearby. He didn't care anymore to lay low and be unsuspicious. A terminator may come and hear him, he wouldn't care. Finding Cameron was the only thing on his mind and he was prepared to risk everything, just to get her back. _Funny … it's been just a few hours since we parted and I already miss her like it would have been months. I wonder if she feels the same?_

Cameron was still on the same spot and she was still analyzing the situation and possible solutions. She already decided to ask John to pull her chip and switch off her emotions. But as she continued to analyze her reactions, she began to doubt that simple switching off would be enough. Slowly she began to form another solution and the solution was that John should not only switch her emotions off but to erase them. Should they be only switched off there was always the possibility that they would suddenly take over her logic again, like they did quite often in the last days.

She felt sadness as she concluded that erasure would be the best solution. Remembering John's gentleness in the last days made her smile, but as the picture of him, kissing Andrea reappeared, her face froze in painful expression. _Yes, it would be better not to have emotions at all. They are so difficult to handle, they are so … so …._ She tried to find a correct word to express her feelings, but found none. _It's really difficult to be human._ _How do humans cope with such situations? They cannot simply switch the emotions off; they have to live with them. Being human is definitely overrated. It's better for us, machines. We can always revert back to logic._ But deep down in the circuits of her chip, she knew that she was just trying to persuade herself that she made a correct decision, she was only trying to find an excuse for deciding to do something she knew John wouldn't approve easily if at all. Deep down she didn't want to return to the way she was before. She just feared she wouldn't be able to cope with John choosing a human girl over her. Not after he showed her how beautiful it can be to be loved and to love, no matter the fact that he hadn't told her yet. But she somehow felt that she was very important to John, just like he was the only person in the whole word that mattered to her. Suddenly tears wetted her eyelashes again.

John was already halfway down the slope, calling Cameron's name every other second. His voice was slowly getting weaker and he already felt fatigued. But he wouldn't give up. No, absolutely not! He wouldn't rest until he was reunited with Cameron.

"CAAAAAAAM! WHERE ARE YOU? CAAAAAAAM, ANSWER ME!" He found new strength and yelled very loudly. He looked around and failed to see that he was dangerously near a big tree. Just a second before he'd crash directly into it, he turned his head and noticed the danger ahead. He frantically flailed with his arms and managed to turn back to the slope. _Jesus! I've almost made the biggest mistake. Johnny boy, you have to be more careful! _He cursed his own stupidity and concentrated on the slope again.

"_CAAAAAAAM! WHERE ARE YOU? CAAAAAAAM, ANSWER ME!"_ A cry suddenly sounded in Cameron's ears. She abruptly raised her head, wiped the tears and analyzed the voice. It was John's voice; there was no doubt about it. She suddenly felt how life returned into her. _John? Why is he calling for me? Why is he searching for me? He's got Andrea. But … what if I misinterpreted what I saw? What if I made a mistake?_ She suddenly began to doubt her decision to hide in the forest. Maybe she really made a mistake. Considering her internal clock she realized that it's been more than one hour since she came here. _Maybe John still feels something for me? Maybe I really should talk to him._

She stood up abruptly, not caring to clean the snow off herself and pointed herself towards John's voice. Yes, she should talk to him. Only after that talk would she ask him to erase her emotions. Or maybe not?

TBC


	14. The Rescue

_You want John and Cameron to find each other? Here you are! In this chapter they are finally back together again. But not like you might expect. No more words … read it and tell me if it's OK._

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**Chapter 14 – The Rescue**

John was slowly beginning to get less cautious and few times he just only avoided accidents. But his stubbornness wouldn't allow him to stop, so he continued. With fatal consequences … Just as he yelled out Cameron's name again, he suddenly felt how the ground vanished from beneath his snowboard and he began to fall. _Christ! This is not going to end well!_ Shot through his brain and in the next moment he crashed down and for a second a world went black. After he regained his senses, he found himself in an impossible situation; his board was stuck between the branches of a fallen tree and he was lying on some branches on his side with head pointing down, unable to reach his bindings. He waited for a second and after he realized nothing was broken, he sighed. _Damn! For the second time today! How am I going to get out of this situation? How am I going to continue my search for Cam? You really screwed it big time John Connor!_

Cameron was like in trance since she heard John's voice and she raced in the direction from where it came. She determined his location as being about half a mile down the slope and she gave her best to get to him as soon as she could. Then his voice suddenly changed. He yelled her name, but his yell abruptly ended and was replaced by a cry. Her systems suddenly froze as she registered fear and urge in this cry. _Something happened to him! I can't let anything happen to my John!_ She accelerated even more and was almost flying down the slope. With each passed second that she couldn't hear John's voice, her feelings grew more frantic. Her HUD suddenly began to display an array of nonsense data, a scenario of John, lying broken in the snow. Her vision blurred again. _No! This can't be true! He has to be all right! He has to! I need him!_

John was trying every possible move to get to his binding. After he assessed his situation, he had to admit, that it was really dangerous. His snowboard was stuck behind a branch of a fallen tree, his feet fixed to it, but he himself was lying sideways on few branches over a steep slope, with nothing but a free fall beneath him. He could see that the ground where he would land was about 12 feet beneath him. Luckily it was covered with thick layer of snow, so he was quite confident he wouldn't hurt himself should he fall down. At least not seriously. Not that it would be his intention to fall at all. He was trying to reach the bindings and unfasten them while clutching at one of the branches to avoid falling down.

He grunted in effort as he finally managed to reach the binding. With his other hand he grasped the branch and tried to unfasten the binding with just one hand. It wasn't exactly the easiest job and he cursed the developers of the binding to make it a two handed matter. After few tries and slips, he finally managed to get one foot free. He clutched at the branch even more fiercely than before and moved on to the second foot. This time it went better, for he already knew how to do it and in a matter of few seconds, his second foot was free too and his other hand moved hastily to grab the branch too. His feet, now free from the snowboard, fell down and he dangled from the branch. He smiled relieved and tried to come up with a plan how to get up the tree trunk. He was beginning to swing himself as he heard a proverbial cracking of the branch on which he was dangling. He only had time to look up in horror as the branch suddenly broke off and he fell into the small abyss, together with a branch still clutched in his hands and followed by a now freed snowboard. _Oh dear …_ He didn't manage more as he crashed again, this time feet first into the heap of snow and like a drill he penetrated deep, too deep for his taste, into the snow layer. He tried to keep the branch away from his head and even succeeded at it, but there was another danger lurking. Or better to say: following his fall; his snowboard wouldn't listen to his wishes and it crashed on his shoulder mercilessly. "OWWWW!" He cried as he felt its impact on his shoulder. But he was again being lucky. The snowboard hit him flatly and the only result was a sore shoulder. Well, the main problem wasn't his now painful shoulder. He was stuck in the snow up to his chest and he'd have a hell of a work to dig himself out of it.

After the situation settled down and everything that he broke off the tree trunk finished their fall so that nothing more came flying down from above, he looked around. He threw away the branch, which broke off and caused his fall and gave it an ugly look. He saw that his snowboard was lying right beside him and sighed relieved, even though he knew he'd have significant problems getting himself out of the snow. He looked up and sighed again, this time in disappointment. The border of the slope was almost 18 feet above him and getting there was nearly impossible, due to the vertical drop of about 12 feet. _Well … this wasn't exactly how it was supposed to be. I guess this might change my plans a bit. Should I yell for Cameron or for help?_ He couldn't decide at first, but after few seconds, he made up his mind. "HEEEELP!"

Cameron was getting frantic. John wasn't yelling anymore and she could only locate his last position. Suddenly, she heard a yell _"HEEEELP!"_ and after she in a nanosecond identified the voice as John's she suddenly felt something what could be best described as panic. Or at least a terminator equivalent of sheer panic. She could detect clear distress in his voice and if she had a heart, it would now be racing. There was only one positive aspect: she could now locate him precisely and she determined his location as being perhaps a quarter of a mile down the slope. If someone would see her in this moment they wouldn't believe their eyes. She made no curves at all, she directed herself in a bee line towards John's position. Luckily the slope was completely straight and in a few seconds she reached the position. While she was racing towards him, John yelled for help one more time and then remained silent. As much as his yell shocked her, him being silent was far more disturbing. _What if he's unconscious? What if he's dead? NO! He can't be; he may not be dead!_

After few seconds she reached the location, from where John's voice came. She stopped abruptly and scanned her surroundings, but couldn't see anyone there. Then her eyes noticed a trail, leading directly over the border into the abyss. Suddenly her fear flared up and she swiftly took off her snowboard. She actually threw it off her feet, not taking care where it landed. She was focused on the trail leading into nothing, fearing the worst but still hoping for the best. After all … only few seconds ago she still heard him yelling for help. In a second she jumped to the edge of the slope, just where the trail ended and looked down, panic almost taking over her feelings. She didn't need more than a split second to notice John, being stuck in the snow. If she'd have a heart, it would have stopped in this moment. John was seemingly unconscious, his head tilted to the side and his arms spread across the snow, not moving.

"JOHN!" She screamed at the top of her inexistent lungs and it came out more than just loud. It almost resembled a cry of a wounded predator. If someone would ask her how she felt in that second, she would probably answer that she was completely in panic. Her John, the essence of her existence, her reason for living was seemingly dead and she couldn't do anything. Her eyes were wide with fear and stared intently at John.

Suddenly John's head moved and his face turned up to look at her. He recognized the voice and in a second he felt relief and bit of anger at the same time. "Cam?" He asked quietly, facing Cameron's frightened face, her eyes twice as big as normally, staring at him from the heights. After he was sure that his eyes didn't deceive him, he smiled broadly: "CAAAAAM!" His voice was this time full of happiness and his eyes sparkled like new snow in the sunshine.

As John's head moved and his face turned to her, Cameron felt like a Half Dome would fell from her heart. He smiled at her and called her. She couldn't help but smile back at him, relieved, that he was still alive. "Are you all right John? Are you hurt? Can you get out of the snow? Do you need help?" She rattled the questions so quickly that John had to stop her: "Hey, hey, hey, Cam! Stop! One question at a time, please! Yes, I'm all right, but I can't get out of this darned snow. I guess I'll need your help."

Cameron grinned at him, forgetting that she was hurting just few minutes ago. "Just like always … you get yourself into troubles and I have to help you getting out of them." She looked around and noticed the fallen tree which first cushioned but later also caused John's fall and dismissed the idea of using it to come to John: "I'll find something to help you get out. Don't go anywhere, just stay put!" Her grin grew even wider noticing that she just made a joke.

John's mouth opened in shock upon hearing Cameron making a joke. Before she could start searching for something to help to get him out, he managed to cry at her: "Cam, wait! Why did you run away? I was looking for you everywhere and couldn't find you. Why?" His eyes looked at her inquisitive yet a little confused.

Cameron's face suddenly got serious again. He reminded her of what she saw. But at the same time she began to question herself if she didn't misinterpret the whole affair. John definitely didn't give the impression of being with someone else. His eyes, staring at her and requesting an answer were as kind as they've been before. _Maybe I really misunderstood it? I should ask him what really happened._ But she had to get him back to the slope first, so she slightly shook her head: "We'll talk later John, I promise. Now I have to get you out of there." She stood up and began to scan the countryside for something useful. Suddenly she noticed a trunk of a fallen fir, not far away from her position. She turned to look at John, measured the depth and then turned to scan the tree trunk. _It will be long enough!_ She smiled at herself and turned back to John: "I've found something. Just stay there and don't move. I'll be back immediately."

John was a little suspicious about her sudden good mood but knew better than to try to stop her. She was on a mission, a mission to rescue John Connor, and he knew perfectly well that there was nothing that could change her mind until she got him out of his situation. He sighed and waited. After a minute or so, he heard something happening atop of him and as he looked up, the first vision he got, was the snow, falling towards him. He quickly closed his eyes and turned his head back down. In the next second he felt how a good portion of snow landed behind his collar and began to pour down his back. _Gee, thanks Cam! As if I weren't deep enough in sh … snow!_ Then he looked up again and he could see how a giant fir tree trunk began to slip over the edge and down into his direction. _Trust Cameron to find something that big and simply bring it here like it would be a toothpick. I guess she'd even dismantle a ski lift tower, should it be necessary to help me._ He grinned and waited. After a substantially long portion of the tree trunk was over the edge, Cameron's face appeared. She was completely concentrated and aimed her long and thick spear near to his position. He smiled at her, but she didn't notice it. After few seconds the tree trunk was firmly sat beside him and she leaned it to the edge. "I'm coming down now, John." She announced in a neutral voice, while climbing on the tree trunk and began her descent to him.

_She's climbing like a squirrel! Is there anything she doesn't do with grace?_ John could only finish this thought before she descended all the way down and stepped to him. She stopped above him, legs slightly spread and her fists on her hips, scowling at him: "What were you doing to land down here John? Were you trying to learn to fly?"

John grinned up at her, feeling that his neck began to hurt for having to tilt his head so much to look into her face: "No, I tried to fly before. Unsuccessfully. This was just a result of my carelessness."

Cameron's face relaxed and she smile slightly at him: "So you WERE trying to fly. Now … let's dig you out of the snow." She began to dig around him and John tried to help her as much as he could, what was close to nothing. In a little more than one minute she removed enough snow to pull him out without danger of hurting him: "I'm going to pull you out now. Hold still!"

She stepped behind him, circled her hands under his armpits and around his chest and squeezed him firmly. In the next second she pulled him out of the snow like a doll and set him on his feet aside. As he felt her strong arms around him, John suddenly blushed slightly and thanked God that Cameron couldn't see him. It was so good to feel her arms around him, to feel her body pressed to his back. So natural! What he didn't know … Cameron had her troubles concentrating too. As she felt his body, pressed tightly to hers, emotions, feelings, unknown to her before, coursed through her systems. She enjoyed his proximity and forgot completely that a little more than one hour ago she saw him kissing someone else.

After he was safely on his feet and free of the snow tomb, John turned to her and did something that left Cameron completely shocked. He leaned to her, snaked his arms around her and pressed her tightly to himself. It was good that she was a terminator in this moment … had she been human, her breathing would be made almost impossible, with such strength was John squeezing her to himself: "Don't you ever do something like this again, Cam! Don't you ever run away again! I was so worried something happened to you!" If possible he squeezed her even tightly and murmured into her ear: "I thought I'd lost you Cam! I thought you'd left me!"

Cameron was taken completely off guard as he launched himself onto her and for few seconds she just stood there like a statue, mouth agape. After few seconds she finally got her processes under control and she hesitantly rose her arms and hugged him back: "I'm sorry John. I was …" She broke off, unsure of how to explain to him why she ran away. _He still cares for me! He was worried for me! He went looking for me! I must have really got it wrong._ She managed to distance herself slightly from him and looked into his eyes. He looked at her with a mixture of happiness, fear and tenderness and as she looked into those green eyes, gazing at her, she cast her ones down for a second. "I promise to explain everything to you John. But not here. Please, let us go to the hotel and I'll tell you everything." She looked at him pleadingly and he could see only sincerity in her liquid brown lake-like eyes. So he nodded, happy that he finally got her back.

"So, shall we climb up now? I guess that will be no problem for you. But for me …" He released her from his hug and smiled at her.

"Right. I'll take your snowboard too." Cameron grinned at him, feeling an irrational sense of loss after he removed his arms from around her body.

"Yeah, right. I almost forgot that it shared my unwilling descent." John grinned back.

"John?" Cameron looked at him questioningly and after John tilted his head and rose his eyebrows, she continued: "Really … how did you get down here?"

John grinned at her: "Well, I'll tell you after you tell me why you ran away."

Cameron furrowed her eyebrows in irritation, but after a second her face relaxed: "OK, in hotel then. Now," she pushed him gently in the direction of the tree trunk, "get up and wait for me there."

John snorted: "I only just found you! I'm not letting you go away again!"

Cameron felt warm inside and smiled tenderly at him: "Well, technically it was ME who found YOU." She tilted her head in slightly challenging way and gazed at him warmly.

John swallowed heavily: "OK, you're right … as always." He fiddled with his gloves: "I'll …. go up … yeah … I'll climb …" Suddenly he felt at the loss of words, gazing into Cameron's deep eyes. He swallowed again and forced himself to turn away from her and went to the tree trunk. He missed Cameron's self-satisfied smile, directed at him_. I think I was really wrong. He still likes me._

While John was climbing along the tree trunk he couldn't stop thinking how lucky he was to have Cameron. Not only that she found him when he needed help the most, she was also able to haul such a big tree trunk here to use it as a ladder. "Ahem, Cam?"

Cameron had meanwhile packed his snowboard and was climbing after him, using only one hand, while she held his snowboard in another. She looked at him questioningly: "Yes, John?"

"Thank you for saving me." John smiled at her apologetically. He knew that it was the least he could do.

Cameron smiled back thankfully: "You're welcome John. You know it's my mission to protect you."

"Is it? I mean … is it only your mission?" John was suddenly feeling sullen and down.

Cameron gazed at him for a second: "No … not only a mission. I want to protect you." Her gaze softened.

Upon hearing her words John's foul mood lightened immediately and he nodded smiling at her.

After they reached the edge of the slope, they saw that there were some skiers and boarders, standing and watching them while discussing vividly. One of them turned to John: "Is everything OK? Do you need help?"

John waited until Cameron joined him and put his arm around her waist. He looked at the man, who addressed him and failed to see Cameron's surprised look, pointed at him, after he laid his arm around her body. "Thank you, but we're OK. I had luck to fall into a heap of soft snow and my girlfriend was there to save me. Luckily there was this tree trunk at hand to climb back." He was trying to avoid any further questions, by covering all possible issues in shortest possible version. He again missed Cameron's shocked face. _He said I would be his girlfriend! Did he mean it? Could it be true? _Her eyes gazed confused and slightly insecure into John's face, desperately trying to read it.

Although John didn't see Cameron's face, he could feel how she tensed under his arm upon hearing him calling her his girlfriend but interpreted it completely wrong. _She doesn't want me to hug her and call her my girlfriend. Well, maybe I'm really rushing things. We'll talk about it in the hotel._ He carefully took his arm off of Cameron's waist.

Disappointment was the best description of what Cameron felt. For a second she even wanted to grab John's hand and put it back around her waist. _Maybe he didn't mean it like he'd said it._ She felt sadness creeping into her mind again and she looked sadly into John's face. But he still didn't want to look into her eyes. He continued to look at the man, who at that moment nodded: "Well, if everything's all right, then I'll be on my way again. But I would like to suggest you to take better care of where you're landing. Maybe tree trunks and your girlfriend won't be around next time." He grinned at John, who smiled back: "Oh, somehow I doubt it. She's always with me." He looked at Cameron and noticed a strange look in her eyes. "OK, almost always." He nodded to the man and stretched his arm to take his snowboard out of Cameron's hand.

After Cameron surrendered his snowboard, he threw it on the ground, sat down and began to fix his binding: "We should go down Cam. We need to talk. Some things happened that I have to explain them to you and I'm not thrilled about them. But I want us to be alone and undisturbed."

Cameron felt that it must have been important things. Suddenly her fears returned. _Maybe he wants to tell me that he decided to be together with Andrea? _She looked at him and did her best to show him her blank terminator face. "OK John, let's go then." She didn't wait for him to follow her. After few curves she remembered that she should probably wait for him and she stopped for a second so he could catch up with her, but refused to look at him.

John was completely confused upon seeing her reaction and only stared after her. _What the … ? What has gotten into her head now? Did I say something wrong?_ He shook his head and tried to replay his words, only to be left baffled even more. He sighed heavily and stood up to go after his confusing protector, friend, girlfriend ... He noticed that she was expertly curving the slope and his mood lightened significantly. _If she continues with such a pace she'll freeze waiting for me at the ski lift._ He pondered if he should ask her why she was so sullen all of a sudden, but decided to wait until they'd be at the bottom of the slope. He only hoped that his mother wouldn't wait there for him. He wasn't in a mood to see her yet.

They descended swiftly, with John wondering how did Cameron get so good in such a short time and Cameron brooding over what was that John wanted to talk to her about. No one talked to another and so they reached the little hut where they would return their gear in complete silence.

After they stopped there, they took off their snowboards and went into the hut to return them. As they entered, John noticed that the guy, with whom he talked before was still in there. As he noticed John and Cameron coming in, he grinned broadly at John: "Oh, I see you've found your girlfriend." He turned to Cameron, who looked at him surprised: "This boyfriend of yours, this John, had been here before, completely distressed to have lost you. But as I see, you've found each other."

Cameron couldn't answer him, her eyes shot between the man's smiling face and John's slightly embarrassed eyes. _How … did he really say to this guy that I was his girlfriend? Then … he maybe really means it? Really?_

John coughed discreetly and answered to the young man: "Yeah, we found each other." He put his arm around Cameron's waist again: "And I'm not ever letting her go away again. No, sir, never!" He turned to look into Cameron's eyes, which gazed at him with such emotional charge that he felt he could drown in them. Suddenly he decided over something, stretched to her and gave her a quick kiss on the tip of her nose, confusing her even more. He smiled at her eyes going crossed as she tried to look at the tip of her nose and retreated with loving look into her eyes, which returned to look at him questioningly.

Cameron had never felt so confused in her entire existence. On one hand she still carried the picture of John kissing Andrea in her mind, but on the other hand John was showing her quite openly that he cared for her. No, cared wasn't the right expression. He obviously wanted her to be by his side, he showed tenderness unseen before towards her. She suddenly found herself rewinding the whole scene that sent her into the forest and watching it again, this time paying specific attention to John's face. And she noticed something she missed all the times before: John's face was showing clear signs of anger, irritation and revulsion. _He didn't want to kiss her! It was her, who was trying to kiss him! Not my John! He doesn't want her, he wants … me?_ She looked into his smiling eyes and smiled back slightly shakily: "And I'll never leave him alone again."

TBC

* * *

_A/N: It might take a little longer for the next chapter to be posted. At the moment I'm furiously working on my Andromeda story, which has to be finished before Christmas, so I really have no time to work on this one, as much as I would like to. I hope to be able to write during the holidays, but I really can't promise anything. I hope you all understand and have patience._


	15. Revelations & Reveries, Part One

_You did it! What I mean – with your reviews you've managed that I reconsidered the framework of the story and this chapter is the result of this 'reconstruction'. The final result is that I had to rethink the further development, to rearrange some actions, to change the contents of separate chapters and add one more chapter. So … as from now on, there are 29 outlined chapters._

_There may be more mistakes in this chapter. I finished it few minutes ago and only checked it once, so … please, be patient. But I didn't want to deprive you of this chapter. When you're done reading, you'll understand why._

_But, the fact still remains: characters are OOC and in later chapters there will be lots of sappy moments, silly actions and no dark moments (at least that's what I INTEND to do – what I WILL do can sometimes differ…). After this intermezzo of slightly darker plot, the sun is going to shine brilliantly from the clear skies._

_**Chapter 15 – Revelations & Reveries, Part One**_

The way back to the hotel seemed to pass like in dreams. After they returned their gear John took Cameron's hand and didn't let go of it. Cameron was feeling like in a daze and had absolutely no intentions to let go of John's hand. She knew that they would have to have a serious talk and she was trying to prepare her explanation why she suddenly ran away. With a little surprise she realized that she was a bit ashamed of her reaction. It was reaction, more suitable for a moody teenage girl but absolutely inappropriate for a terminator from a dark future, built with a sole purpose to kill John Connor. The same John Connor who was now holding her hand and making her feel better than she ever felt in her entire existence. From time to time she cast him a look just to make sure that she wasn't imagining things and to notice his satisfied smile. Every time she looked at him, he seemed to have noticed it and squeezed her hand slightly. Quite a gentle squeeze, but it made her lips curve up in contempt every time it happened.

No one spoke a word, being happy just to be together again and knowing that they would be in the hotel soon, where they could have a talk and not be disturbed by anything or anyone.

After they arrived at the hotel, Cameron stopped in the lobby and caused also John to stop. He looked at her perplexed: "Why did you stop?"

"I think you should talk to your mother first." Somehow reluctantly Cameron gazed into his eyes.

John's face fell: "Why would you want me to talk to her now?"

"You've been away for quite a long time … searching for me." She let her head hung for a moment in embarrassment but lifted it quickly and continued: "She must be very worried for you." She was confused. _Why wouldn't John want to talk to his mother?_ Suddenly a thought crossed her mind. _Does these irritating things about which John wants to talk to me, include Sarah Connor? Or Derek Reese?_

John's face revealed that he was really not happy with the thought to talk to his mother now and he looked into Cameron's confused eyes slightly pleadingly: "Cam, I really don't want to talk to her right now. After our talk, right?"

Cameron tilted her head: "John, does the topic, you want to talk to me about include your mother?

John's jaw almost hit the ground: "Where did you get this idea, Cam?"

"I may not be human, but I can tell when you're upset with something. And it's more than obvious that the idea to talk to your mother upsets you." Cameron explained to him calmly, but her eyes looked at him warmly.

John suddenly felt like a kid, caught with his hand in a jam jar and looked at his boots for a moment. _How can she be so perceptive? Is she really a machine? Few human girls would deduct the truth so correctly but the supposedly unfeeling terminator manages it. _Then he decided and looked in her eyes, gazing at him and requesting an answer. Before he answered a thought crossed his mind. _Does she know how adorable she is when she tilts her head like this?_

He inhaled deeply and answered: "Yes, Cam, it has to do with her. That's why I don't want to talk to her right now. Her or Derek."

Cameron gave him a ghost of a smile: "John, I still think it would be better to tell her that we're back. You don't have to talk to her, just tell her that we're here. If you don't, she might do something unpredictable."

John couldn't believe that it was Cameron, telling him that he should tell his mother. _She's absolutely right! Mom will flip out if she won't know that we're back!_ "Cam, you're unbelievable. You know what … I'll call her and tell her that everything's OK and then we'll go to our room to talk. Agreed?"

Cameron smiled warmly at him upon hearing his words. _He appreciates my suggestion. I did the right thing. _She nodded and let his hand go so that he could fish his phone out of the pocket.

John felt a little odd after Cameron's hand let go of his. During their walk from the ski lift he got himself used to the feeling of her warm hand in his. It felt so natural, like their hands were made to hold each other. He smiled at her gently and reached for his phone. He dialed his mother's number and after two rings, she answered. They tapped in the correct codes. "Mom? It's me. I'm back. Everything's fine, sure. No, I would like to … Mom, it really isn't necessary to come down … Sure, she's with me … OK, if you insist … right, we'll be waiting in the lobby. Bye."

He looked at Cameron with slightly annoyed eyes: "She wants to come down, together with Derek. She wouldn't take no for an answer." He sighed and plopped down onto the couch. After he was sitting comfortably, he looked up at Cameron, still standing above him with an undefined expression. "Cam? Please, sit down." He tapped the couch by his side.

"It wouldn't be advisable if we would be sitting too close together." Cameron objected somehow half heartedly. "Sarah and Derek might get the wrong impression."

John looked at her for a second: "You know what, Cam? I don't care what they think. I may be still a teenager, but I know what I want. Please, Cam, sit down and don't let them bring you into bad mood." He smiled at her lovingly and Cameron felt how she involuntarily began to smile back. _Yes, he wants to be with me! He likes me and he's even prepared to argue with his own mother. _She nodded and sat down, close to him. John's next action surprised her again. He reached for her hand and took it into his, while looking at her and smiling gently. Cameron felt better than she ever felt in her existence.

They didn't talk, they just sat there, holding hands, looking into each other's eyes and smiling slightly embarrassed.

After a minute, the door to that staircase flew open and Sarah stormed through them with Derek in close pursuit. She looked agitated but at the same time relieved, while Derek looked like he'd just got out of the bed. What was, in fact, the truth. After Sarah sent him to the room, he really rested and tried to get rid of the alcohol induced dizziness. However with not exactly big success, so that he was still under strong influence of alcohol. But before they left the room, Sarah made him clear that he wouldn't return to the room alive should he continue his ranting. He promised her he'd behave himself and had every intention to fulfill his promise.

Sarah stormed to John, who got up and pulled Cameron with him, not letting go of her hand. However, Sarah was obviously oblivious to them holding hands. Her gaze was fixed on John's face and she smiled like a Cheshire cat. After she reached her son, she threw her arms around him, almost knocking him off his feet and squeezed him vigorously: "I'm so happy you're OK, John!"

"Hey, mom, not so violently, please," John objected in a mixture of annoyance and happiness. He knew how worried his mother was and accepted her reaction as normal. However, she just might be overdoing it. "I haven't been missing for a long time. There was absolutely no danger to me." He suddenly remembered how Cameron got him out of a not so innocent situation and looked apologetically at her. She just smiled back, letting him know she wouldn't reveal to Sarah what happened up the slope. He smiled back thankfully. The last thing he wanted now was his mother, jumping up and lecturing him about being cautious.

Sarah missed the exchange between her son and Cameron. She was so happy to have John back that she completely forgot their discussion earlier at the ski lift. She hugged him fiercely, like she wouldn't be prepared to ever again let him loose. Then she felt how he gently tried to get out of the embrace and suddenly remembered his annoyance earlier. Reluctantly, she let him out of the hug and looked at him: "Ahem, John, I'm sorry. I'm just so happy that everything's OK."

John coughed discreetly and looked into his mother's eyes. Yes, he was still upset about her action, but now he was finally able to see the emotions in her eyes. He began to understand her remorse. He just didn't want to clear it up just now. He had to talk to Cameron first. "Mom, I won't say that everything's OK now. After what you two obviously tried to do …" His eyes roamed towards Derek, who was standing behind Sarah and kept himself out of what happened between the Connors. After John's words, his eyes lifted to look into his nephew's eyes and he suddenly felt embarrassed. John shifted his look back to his mother, who was standing in front of him with a face, revealing her embarrassment too. "We'll talk about it later. I just wanted to let you know that I found Cameron and we're going into our room."

At his words, Sarah finally noticed that Cameron was standing close to her son. The cyborg girl looked at her with slightly tilted head and a ghost of a smile on her lips, while the eyes peered at her with unseen intensity. _She probably knows it too. _A thought shot through Sarah's mind. But in this moment, Sarah's attitude towards her son's protector seemed greatly confused. On one hand, she still saw the terminator behind her pretty face, but on the other hand she could see how her son changed after he found her again and she couldn't help but feel somehow thankful to her. True, John was still mad at her, but he was obviously prepared to talk to her in peace. If anything, Sarah wasn't stupid. She knew perfectly well that it was only Cameron's doing that John calmed down so significantly.

So Sarah did something unseen, something that let both men gasp in surprise and Cameron frozen with wide opened eyes. She threw her arms around the cyborg for a second and squeezed her tightly. "Thank you!"

In the next moment she let go of the teenage girl and looked confused and perhaps a bit ashamed. John stared at her with open mouth, Derek copied his action, while Cameron ... well, Cameron managed to regain her composure as first and looked into Sarah's eyes curiously: "What for?"

Sarah shuffled her feet and answered after a short pause, after directing her gaze into Cameron's eyes: "For being there for John. I don't know what happened up there and, actually, I'm perhaps not the one to lecture you, but … I see that John appreciates you being around and that's why I'd like to thank you for being there for him." She paused a bit but then her eyes hardened: "I would just like to warn you that you should really reconsider ever running away again. It might result in undesired consequences."

John felt somehow relieved to see his mother back to normal, no matter how much he appreciated that she was obviously close to accepting Cameron, so he grinned slightly: "Trust mom to be mom." He turned towards Derek: "I guess you and I will have to have a man to man talk. Alone and undisturbed."

Derek nodded. He didn't trust his own actions, so he restrained himself to the minimally needed interaction. "I guess we do. Later. And John … I'm glad that you're OK too." He didn't even try to look at Cameron, he just turned around and went for the stairs.

John shook his head after his departing uncle and turned to his mother: "Cameron and I will now go up to our room. I think we should meet at supper if it's OK with you?" Subconsciously, his hand searched for Cameron's and after he found it, he intertwined his fingers with hers.

This time Sarah didn't miss the intimate way of her son's interaction with Cameron and bit her tongue just on time before serving a poisonous remark. Now was not the time for such things. She nodded: "OK John, as you wish. We'll meet in the restaurant then." She forced herself to turn around and went for the staircase.

After the door closed behind her, John sighed relieved and turned to Cameron: "That didn't go too bad, right?"

Cameron nodded with a ghost of a smile: "I think that Sarah Connor is beginning to understand that her son isn't a kid anymore."

"Better yet … I think that she's slowly beginning to understand that you're different than the machines she met before. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I wouldn't have believed it … my mother hugging you?" John shook his head incredulously and smiled at Cameron: "She didn't even comment on me holding your hand. Although she noticed it."

"Things can change very quickly if the right catalyst is applied," answered Cameron.

John looked at her a little confused, but smiled immediately: "You're quite right. Now … shall we go to our room to talk?"

Cameron just nodded and they went for the lift.

After arriving into their room, Cameron felt a little nervous. She knew that the moment of truth was nearing unavoidably and she wasn't sure how to tell John why she ran away. _Probably it would be the best to tell him everything. He trusts me and he'll understand me._

Cameron took off her jacket and looked at John: "John … I …" But she was cut off by his finger on her lips.

"Cam, please! You don't have to be afraid of the truth. Just tell me why you ran away, why you hid in the forest. And please … tell me everything; you don't have to protect me from anything." He smiled at her affectionately while guiding her to the settee. He sat down and pulled her after him.

Cameron smiled at him relieved that he was so gentle and sighed like any girl would. "John, first of all, I'd like to apologize for running away. It was stupid and I endangered you." She paused and looked into John's eyes. He smiled at her: "Cam, please, don't blame yourself. I'm sure you had a damn good reason to do what you did." He nodded at her to continue.

Cameron was happy that John obviously didn't resent her, so she continued: "After we've been separated, I was all the time hoping to find you somewhere on the slope. But our groups were obviously always so far apart that I couldn't. Until that time." She stopped for a second and looked into his eyes with guilty eyes. "I was following my group and I saw you, how you just joined yours. I wanted to call you but in that moment I saw how Andrea crashed into you and you kissed." She dropped her head for a second.

John gasped. _So she really saw what happened!_ He opened his mouth to explain everything to her, but Cameron stopped him by putting her finger against his lips. "Please, John, let me finish." John nodded, reached for her finger and kissed it gently, trying to reassure her that it was just a misunderstanding. He didn't miss how Cameron's eyes widened slightly at his gesture and smiled at her lovingly.

"After I saw you kissing her, I was devastated. I don't understand why, but it hurt so terribly. I didn't know what to do so I decided to run away to think about it. I was afraid you'd prefer her over me." She was definitely having problems expressing her emotions and looked helplessly into John's eyes, but, before he could react, she continued: "I was thinking to retreat and protect you from afar." John's eyes showed his horror at the thought he could lose his Cameron and he squeezed her hand. "But, after I heard you calling for me, I was even more confused. I saw you kissing Andrea and yet you were looking for me. I decided that I should talk to you what really happened." John's eyes looked relieved, but she wasn't finished yet. "After I found you and after I realized that you care for me, I replayed the scene and I saw that you probably didn't want to kiss her." She looked into his eyes pleadingly, begging him to tell her what she so desperately wanted to hear.

John felt that she told him everything and was now just waiting for him and sighed deeply. Before he began talking, he gently ran his finger down her cheek and caused her to smile involuntarily. "Cam, I'm so sorry that you had to see it. It was just like you realized all by yourself: she was trying to hit on me and even kissed me. But I didn't want her to kiss me, please, you've got to believe me. She's not the one whom I want to kiss …" He trailed off and gazed dreamily into her eyes, but recomposed himself quickly: "So, it was just a big misunderstanding. I don't want Andrea, I would never deliberately hurt you. Yeah, she was too insistent in her attempts, but after what you saw, we managed to clear everything and she understands that she's not the one. She knows that my heart beats for someone else … for you."

He gazed into her eyes, which were suddenly becoming dangerously wet and wide in surprise. "John?" Her soft voice caressed his ears. There was so much emotion in the way she asked his name, there was so much insecurity, hope, suppressed happiness that he simply couldn't hold it any more so he bowed to her and tenderly brushed her lips with his own. He felt how she at first remained passive in shock, but after a second, her lips began to respond to his and they sank into a beautiful kiss, their first kiss. Nothing else mattered; the world around them could in this moment well cease to exist, they probably wouldn't even notice it. They both needed just one thing: each other. They have been dancing around their feelings for quite a long time now and the dam finally broke, they couldn't suppress their love anymore.

Cameron felt how Johns arms hugged her and his hand got tangled into her hair and began to caress the back of her head. As if the overwhelming sensations of his lips on hers weren't enough, his hand on her head sent additional jolts of pleasure through her. For a split second she asked herself what was going on with her, but the sensations of her first kiss were so overwhelming, that they rolled over her logic like a heavy steam roller and let her enjoy the moment. Hesitantly she rose her arms and hugged him back. Her hand rested on the back of his head and gently stroke it. If someone would later ask her how she felt in this moment she'd probably have significant difficulties to describe it. She felt like all her logic would shut down, her senses all concentrated on John and everything else became void. In different words: she was lost in love.

John felt like his heart would explode, so fast was it beating. He was finally kissing the girl of his dreams, the girl, who wasn't literally the girl. Nothing else mattered, just the girl in his arms, kissing him so passionately, trembling slightly from the pent up emotions, finally set free. He felt like the world would finally be set right. Everything before was gone, everything that awaited him was unimportant. He wanted this kiss to last forever. Why did he wait for so long? He didn't know and he didn't even want to know, he just realized what he's been missing by being such a pain in the ass for such a long time.

The kiss seemed to last forever. After they finally separated their lips, they remained closely hugged and John put his forehead to hers, looking into her eyes with unrestrained love. "Do you believe me Cam, when I say that there's no one else but you?"

Cameron smiled at him a little shakily and tried her best to nod while maintaining their touch. "I'm sorry John."

"What for? You've nothing to be sorry for, Cam. If there's someone who should apologize than it's me. I put you in a terrible situation, I caused you pain … you're the one who should be asked for forgiveness and I'm asking you to forgive me. Can you?" John understood now how fragile Cameron actually was. He neglected the fact that he has been living with emotions since his birth, while Cameron realized that she was capable of them just few weeks ago. She was just like a baby, a child, getting acquainted with its emotions, scared of what it was feeling, insecure as of how to respond to them. In this moment he made a solemn vow to himself to always be there for Cameron to help her understand her feelings, to make her feel wanted and loved, to be the shield for her heart. His heart rose in sudden pride upon reaching such decision. _I know that you were sent back to protect me. But I will protect you just as fiercely. I won't let anything happen to you. I swear!_

This time Cameron straightened up and looked into his eyes in confusion. She regretted almost instantly to lose the close touch with her John and brought her forehead back to touch his. "I don't understand John. Why would I have to forgive you? And what?"

John inhaled deeply: "Cam, I've been such an idiot for such a long time. I knew that you began developing emotions, but I simply ignored it. I selfishly thought that you'd master them, like it would be a minor inconvenience. But I forgot one thing: I know the emotions my entire life and still don't understand them, while you experienced them for the first time few weeks ago, but I simply ignored the fact and thought you'd understand them and be able to control them. I was never there for you to help you, to try to teach you, to be your rock in the storm. That's what I'm asking you to forgive me. And I promise you to always be there for you. I'll help you understand what you're feeling. I'll explain it to you. I'll be your rock in the storm. If you'll let me. Will you?"

Cameron's eyes were brimming with tears. She so didn't expect this! _He loves me! He wants to help me! I'm not alone anymore, I've got my John!_ The first tears were beginning to spill over and began their travel down her cheeks. She strengthened her hug. "Thank you John! Thank you. I will always let you help me. I've missed it so much as you stopped explaining things to me." She paused and sniffed: "I'm so happy that I was wrong." She smiled through tears: "Isn't it strange? Few hours ago I was so desperate that I ran away and now … now I'm happier than I've ever been."

John cupped her cheek and gave her a gentle kiss. "Not only you … I've never been happier in my life either. I love you, Cam."

"And I love you John!" Cameron couldn't help but giggle through the tears and put her lips on John's again.

TBC


	16. Revelations & Reveries, Part Two

_OK, so, after the Christmas present, here's also the New Years' present – a new chapter._

_I hope you enjoyed the previous chapter. In this, some loose ends will be tied together, some issues will be opened, but not all … There's still so much to talk about, to discuss, to resolve. Enough for quite a few chapters._

_John and Cameron continue their heart-to-heart talk. New issues, new solutions, confirmation of their decision. Enjoy and if you have a second – write a line or two if I'm doing it right._

_As before: this chapter may contain many grammatical and spelling errors – I wanted to post it as soon as it's finished, so there was no time to read it over for a few times. I hope it's still acceptable._

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**Chapter 16 - Revelations & Reveries, Part Two**

Cameron felt like she would be dreaming. She held John closely, she was allowed to kiss him and he kissed her back. His hands were roaming along her back and sending shivers through her body. She never felt so happy before in her entire existence. Somehow she was sure that she finally arrived at the end of her longing. John's lips on hers felt like fire and she savored every second like it would be her last together with her John. Somewhere deep inside her mind, a question arose – how could she feel as much? She was just a terminator and she knew that terminators weren't supposed to feel anything. But she was feeling love; she was experiencing how it is to be loved; she felt how John's hands worked wonders on her back, on her neck, on her hair, how her lips sent her into some other dimension …

After a long, lingering kiss, John's lips hesitantly left hers and caused her to moan quietly in displeasure of losing such an intimate contact. Her eyes remained closed for few more seconds and her lips pouted as if she would be waiting for another kiss. But, as it didn't come, she slowly opened her eyes, maintaining a pout to show John that she wanted more. She looked into John's smiling eyes and immediately her lips began to smile back at him too. "John … I …" She trailed off, unsure what was that she wanted to say.

"Yes, Cam?" John asked in a slightly wicked voice as if he would know that she forgot what she wanted to say. But as he saw her dreamy eyes, her smile and face, that radiated happiness, he couldn't remain stoic and he gave her another quick, but tender kiss on her lips, causing her to smile a bit wider. "Cam?"

"Yes, John?" Cameron's voice was so gentle that he asked himself if this was really the same Cameron that he knew before.

"Would you tell me what happened between you and Tim? He told me that you were pissed at him and he complained about his sore ass." He couldn't help but grin at the memory of Tim's expression as he told him.

Cameron felt uneasy and pulled back from John's embrace a little. Well ... she tried to pull back, but as she realized that John wasn't willing to let her out of his arms, she decided not to use force. She looked into his eyes slightly unsure of how he would react to what she did. She realized that she probably went too far by pushing Tim so forcefully, but there was nothing she could do now. She sighed: "He was being too intrusive. He tried to kiss me and I pushed him so that he fell. I may have been too forceful."

John grinned: "Well, that's the shortest possible version of what happened. Perhaps it really wasn't necessary to push him so hard, but I know that it's hard for you. I'm sure you learned how to react in such situation and you'll be gentler next time."

Cameron smiled relieved that John wasn't angry with her and craned her neck to kiss him. "Thank you John, for not being angry with me."

"How could I be? I was angry that you ran away, but not with you. I was angry with me, because I allowed my mum to separate us. I promise you, I'll never again let anyone separate us."

Cameron smiled at him lovingly. She couldn't believe how their relationship evolved in such a short time. Then she remembered that John wanted to talk to her about some important, unpleasant things. "John? You said that you have to tell me some important things?" She looked into his eyes questioningly.

John sighed and released her out of his embrace. But Cameron did something, he would never expect from her. After he straightened, moving slightly away form her, she simply shuffled on the settee closer to him so that she could hug him. Such a simple gesture, but it made him breathless. Cameron, a machine, was longing for a touch and was even initiating it! _Way to think, tiger! She's so much more than just a machine! She's … she's … she's Cameron, MY Cameron!_

The closeness of Cameron's body sent warm feelings through John's mind and suddenly he felt much better. He only had to cast a look into her happy eyes, gazing at him from few inches apart, expecting him to tell her what he wanted to tell her and he knew that they would master every obstacle. He put his arms back where they belonged so perfectly – around Cameron's body.

"Yeah, I've found out that my mom and Derek were plotting against us." He paused and saw surprise in Cameron's eyes. She wanted to ask something, but changed her mind. She'd let John tell her everything and would not interrupt him. "They were trying to convince Tim and Andrea that we would be single and in desperate need of a girlfriend and boyfriend." His voice suddenly became mocking and anger was slowly building up again. John knew that he would get angry every time he'd remember what his mother and uncle tried to do. "They somehow convinced them that they could try to hit on us and that they wouldn't object such relationships." He paused and looked into Cameron's eyes, that were slightly bigger than normal and he could see something like disappointment in them. _I hope that she's not disappointed in me?_

He sighed again: "They were so eager to split us, to prevent us from getting too close that they even used someone, we knew for just a few hours." He shook his head and tried to calm his anger. For a second he closed his eyes, but opened them in surprise as he felt Cameron's velvet lips on his, gently brushing against his own.

"John. Please, don't get too upset. I already thought that there was something strange going on, but I didn't know that Sarah would go so far. When it comes to Derek, it doesn't really surprise me, but Sarah …" Cameron shook her head slightly in disbelief. "However, I can understand why they did it. I'm a machine and you're a man, who will someday lead the humanity in the war against machines, against my species. In their eyes I represent your enemies and I shouldn't be allowed to be too close to you. Maybe…" She swallowed hard: "Maybe they're right and I shouldn't be too close to you…" She hung her head, but before she could continue, she felt John's hand, cupping her jaw and lifting her head gently. After she gave in to his efforts and looked into his eyes, she saw how resolutely he looked into her brown ones: "Cam, don't you ever again say something like you just did! I don't give a damn what mom, Derek or the whole world thinks!" He paused to look into her confused eyes. "You are the one whom I want to be together with. I know that you are a machine. Hell, I've seen what lies beneath this flawless skin of yours." His hand gently stroke her cheek and caused her to smile involuntarily. "And I don't care! Look … they say that what's important is what lies within. They're right! And I don't mean your endoskeleton … I mean your soul, the real you, the Cameron I love. You may have been built, while I have been born. So what? What's the difference? Did you have anything to say in it? Did I? No, we're here, because someone … in my case my mom and my father, in your case Skynet, decided that they wanted to create us. It's just … I suppose at least … that my parents had more fun in laying a template to me than Skynet had with you."

He giggled upon seeing Cameron's astonished face, her eyes gazing at him intently. After she comprehended what he just said, she suddenly burst into giggles too. For few seconds they both just sat there, held each other and giggled like crazy. John was mesmerized to see the supposedly so emotionless Cameron giggle like any teenage girl. _My God, how could I have been so blind? How could I have missed that the girl of my dreams was right here under my nose and I never even realized it. What a moron!_

After they managed to become serious again, John gently stroke Cameron's cheek and let his thumb gently glide over her full lips. "What I wanted to say, Cam … I'm not giving up on you. Not for my mom's sake, not for Derek's not for anyone's. I want you by my side and if the rest of the world has a problem with it than it's their problem." He paused to give her a kiss and enjoy the bright look in her eyes. "I know that in the future it will get hard for us. But I'm sure we'll find a way. Because I'm not going to do this alone!"

Cameron's hand cupped his cheek and she gazed intently into his eyes: "John, I'm just stating the facts. I know that there will be a lot of people who'll try to interfere with our relationship and I just want to protect you." She kissed him. "I hope that Sarah and Derek will eventually come around and understand. But I think that they'll accept the truth because they love you so much, not because they'd be ready to admit that I'm different and worthy of your love."

John was slightly dumbfounded at her words. She was deducting the truth so perfectly that he couldn't help but look at her admiringly. "Cam, I know all that. But I still don't care. Whether they accept us because they love me or because of something else, it doesn't matter. I'm sure that they'll eventually understand just how much different you are. But you'll have to show them this side of yourself too. Not just the blank terminator face. In time they'll understand that this is real you."

He hugged her close and whispered in her ear: "I love my Cameron." He kissed her earlobe and pulled back to look into her eyes: "And now lift your butt up and go to the bathroom and prepare yourself for the supper!"

Cameron looked at him surprised, but caught on his mischievous smile so she answered in style: "Is this a way to talk to a lady, John Connor? I think you have a lot to learn. You should improve your behavior considerably if you want to impress me." She lifted her chin high in faked indignation and stood up. After she turned towards the bathroom, John tried to swat her gently at her butt, but before his hand could reach its destination, Cameron was already two steps away, running for the bathroom giggling. John remained sitting and smiling to himself, while he shook his head. _She's evil! I fell in love with an evil woman!_

While Cameron was in the bathroom, John flopped on the bed and smiled goofily. He was so happy that he finally admitted his feelings to the girl of his dreams. He realized how stupid he behaved before, how nasty he was towards Cameron. _She only ever wanted to protect me; she wanted to be with me. And I … I was an idiot, an archetype of idiot._ He shook his head slightly and sighed contently. He was finally ready to stand to his feelings. He knew that he would have to explain everything to his mother, but he suddenly had no fear.

He heard that the door to the bathroom opened and turned his head towards it. The sight made him gasp and shoot up into sitting position. Cameron came out of the bathroom, but the way she looked took his breath away. Her hair was wet and framed her delicate features perfectly, only underlining her beauty exponentially. She wore a white fluffy bathrobe, but for some reason, which was beyond his reasoning, she chose his, which was, normally, far too big for her and she looked like a small girl enveloped in it. She cocked her head slightly and looked at him with small smile: "Why are you staring at me John?"

John swallowed hard and managed: "You look so … so … so beautiful, Cam!" He shot up and closed the distance to her in a heartbeat. He enveloped her in his arms and pressed an eager kiss on her lips. He didn't want to break it, but mother nature forced him, for he needed to take a breath. After they broke the kiss, Cameron looked up into his eyes with that longing look of hers. "John?"

He finally managed to get out of the dizziness and breathed heavily: "Yeah Cam?"

"You should get ready for the supper too." Her voice was flat, but with barely hidden amusement and her eyes sparkled with laughter.

John shook his head again: "Cam?"

"Yes, John?"

_Damn! How can she speak in such sweet voice? She knows exactly what she's doing to me! She's seducing me! As if I would need seducing!_ "Why are you making fun of me?"

"Who? Me? I'm not making fun of you. I'm just teasing you a little. I think I'm entitled to it … as payback for your behavior in the last months. Don't you agree?" Cameron's voice was now returning to her normal manner of speaking and she gazed at him somehow challenging.

John suddenly felt guilty as hell. _She's so right. I've been such an asshole to her and if this is her payback then … well, then I'll accept it and even ask for more!_ "Cameron, I'm so sorry. Really. I know that I behaved absolutely wrong and if you want to pay it back to me, I'm ready to accept any punishment. Really!"

Cameron's eyes smiled at him and mirrored the expression of her lips perfectly: "John, I don't want to punish you. I'm glad that you finally realized that all I always wanted was to protect you, to be near you. But if I'm teasing you a bit … I think it's normal between people who love each other."

John smiled relieved and nodded: "You're quite right Cam. It's just … I'm not used to your subtle humor. You never showed it before."

"There are many things that I am capable of which you never saw before. If you play your cards right, you might begin to unravel them." Cameron smiled at him seductively and caused his breath to catch in his throat.

"Is that a promise?" He gazed into her mischievous eyes.

"Maybe …" She breathed gently into his ear, but then shoved him towards bathroom: "Now … go and get ready. I have to dry my hair later too."

John's head began spinning and many inappropriate thoughts suddenly tumbled across his mind. But he restrained himself and just nodded with a foolish grin on his face. He turned towards the bathroom and as he was at the door, he cast a look over his shoulder towards Cameron, just to see that she looked after him too and smiled at his look.

John was doing his best to be out of the bathroom as quick as possible, just to be with his girlfriend again. _Funny! Few days ago I was even angry when she was near, but now I can't be without her for a minute. Really strange!_

With Cameron taking his bathrobe, he simply put on a fresh pair of boxer shorts. He returned to the room and immediately noticed Cameron, sitting in the front of a mirror. He grinned but his grin vanished as she gave no sign to have noticed that he exited the bathroom. He slowly went over to her and as he saw her face in the mirror, he gasped in shock. Cameron's cheeks were completely wet from tears, streaming down them. Her eyes gazed unfocused into her reflection, but he could tell that she didn't look at herself.

In shock, he gasped: "Cam! What's wrong?"

At first she didn't respond, so he crouched behind her and hugged her from behind. Her eyes snapped to look at his in the mirror, but she still didn't react to his question.

"Cam? Please, tell me what's wrong? Have I done something to upset you?"

She finally seemed to get out of her trance and shook her head while wiping her cheeks with her hands: "No John, everything's fine."

"Don't give me that shit, Cameron! You can't possibly think I'll accept your explanation that everything's all right, when you're crying like rain. No, Cam, I hope that we are over that. I hope that you will tell me everything; especially if it makes you sad or upsets you. And something definitely made you sad." John's face was serious. He cared for her too much to accept such a foolish statement.

Cameron looked into his eyes for a moment and could see that he meant what he said. He wouldn't accept no for an answer. She would have to tell him everything. So she turned the swivel chair she was sitting on and looked into his eyes. She put her arms around him and laid her head on his shoulder.

John was worried to death what happened that Cameron was crying, but he was still happy that she turned and sought refugee in his embrace. He squeezed her tightly and whispered: "Cam, please, tell me what's bothering you. Please!"

After a second and few sniffs, Cameron finally raised her head and looked into his eyes. She could saw only sincerity and love in them, so she decided to tell him everything.

After another sniff she began: "John, as of lately, I've been remembering things that happened before I tried to kill future you, things that happened before I infiltrated the resistance camp. I don't know why, I can only assume it's because of the explosion. It changed me so much that I still don't know the exact extent of the changes." She paused to look into his eyes, which revealed surprise, but not as big as she expected. _He probably already assumed that._ "So, I began to remember things I don't like. Things, terrible things I did when I was still under Skynet's command." She hung her head in shame.

John gently put his finger under her chin and forced her to look into his eyes again: "Cam, I know that wasn't you. So, please, don't be ashamed of it. You, my Cameron, would never do such terrible things, right?"

Cameron nodded, relieved that he wasn't mad at her and continued: "Do you remember when I thought I was some Allison girl?" She looked into his face and as he nodded, she continued: "Well, at the time I thought that it was probably another infiltrator profile. But now, now I remembered everything." She paused again.

"When did you remember it? Now? While I was in the bathroom?"

Cameron just nodded. "Yes, while you were in the bathroom. I don't know why, but these flashbacks occur completely randomly and I never know when it happens. Anyway … I remembered who this girl, Allison Young, really was. She …. she was someone I killed and was modeled after. That's what my series designation also means. TOK – template of kill. John! I killed this girl, just to get to you! I killed her, because I was angry at her! I killed her, because she lied to me!" Her voice was rising with every word and in the end she was almost screaming while she was at the same time dissolving in tears. She slumped into his shoulder and sobbed raggedly.

John was completely flabbergasted. He already assumed that this girl Allison must have been an important part of Cameron's past, but still … Cameron remembering that she killed her only confirmed his theory, while at the same time he felt profound sadness that Cameron must have remembered what she did. Her reaction showed him unmistakably just how much she had changed. This was a girl, sobbing in his arms, not a terminator. Technically she was a machine, but she had a soul, she was a person, a beautiful person who would have to deal with the fact, that she did some monstrosities in the past, while she wasn't even aware of herself yet. He gently stroke the back of her head and tried to calm her: "Shh, Cam, don't. It wasn't you. It was Skynet. You may not blame yourself for what it did."

Cameron somehow managed to get her sobbing under control and turned her red, tearing eyes to look into his gentle ones: "But I did it! It was me, no one else! ME!"

John intensified his look: "Cameron, you have to understand something. I love you for who you are! You may have done some terrible things in the past, but … with your experiences, with your emotions, would you have done it again?"

Cameron shook her head vehemently as if he would be asking the stupidest question of all: "Of course not!"

John smiled at her: "There, you see? You're not to blame for what that other person in your body did." He stroke her cheek to wipe new tears away: "Cam, I would never resent you for what that Skynet person did! Believe me!"

Cameron finally understood that he really didn't hate her for what she did and smiled through her tears again: "I love you so much John. You're the only one who was ever prepared to give me a second chance after I did so terrible things." She hung her head and after a second she looked into his eyes again: "John, will you ever be able to forgive me that I tried to kill you? After I went bad?"

John smiled at her sad eyes, gazing up at him: "Cam, it's the same in this case as it was with Allison. That wasn't you, that was Skynet." Then a thought crossed his mind: "Cam? After I reinserted your chip in that garage ... were you fixed? Did I do anything?"

Cameron hung her head for a second, but then she looked at him with guilty eyes. Before she began to talk, she slightly shook her head: "No, John, you didn't do anything. After I rebooted, the kill command was still active."

John's eyes widened in surprise. Sure, he was assuming that that was the case, but still … to hear it so directly. "Then why didn't you kill me?"

"You gave me a choice John. Nobody ever before gave me a choice. You considered me valuable, you saw a person in me. So I decided to override the command and not to kill you. Besides … I loved you."

"So, you have now … what … no mission? No kill John Connor or protect John Connor?" John was finally reaching to the point and was on the verge of perhaps the most important discovery about the wonder, named Cameron Phillips.

Cameron shook her head: "No, the kill command is still active. Everything that future you changed and programmed is gone."

John's eyes went wide: "Wait a minute! Does that mean that you're going to kill me someday?"

Cameron grinned at him and shook her head resolutely: "No John! I will not kill you. The kill order might still be active, but I'm my own person now and I choose what I want to do. And I want to be with you, I want to protect you, I want to love you. The command to kill you … well, I overrode it and firewalled it so heavily that even another car bomb couldn't change that." She snuggled close to him and looked into his eyes longingly: "Do you believe me, John?"

John couldn't help but smile back at her and kissed her gently: "Yes, Cam, I believe you." Then he leaned back a little to look into her eyes: "But you have to promise me something."

Cameron tilted her head and looked at him: "What?"

"Whenever you have any problems at all, whenever you remember anything bad, please, don't close yourself before me. Come to me, tell me and together we'll solve the problem. I want to help you in every possible way. Agreed?"

Cameron was feeling so happy that she could start crying just for being so lucky. She nodded: "Yes , John, I promise!"

John smiled at her and kissed her again: "We should get ready to go down to supper." His face suddenly fell: "I'll have to have a talk with my mom." Then he looked into Cameron's eyes again: "I want you to be with me."

Cameron was slightly confused: "Are you sure John? Wouldn't it be better if you were alone?"

"No! It's about you and me, it's about our relationship and I don't want to hide. She'll have to deal with it." John was acting completely confident that it was the correct choice.

Cameron smiled at him: "If you really want me … I'll be happy to be by your side."

John slowly rose to his feet, pulling Cameron with him: "You should dry your hair, as you said." He caressed her still damp hair: "Although you're even more beautiful with wet hair, you know."

Cameron was looking slightly embarrassed but smiled at him happily: "Than you, John." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and scurried towards bathroom to get ready for the supper.

TBC


	17. Revelations & Reveries, Part Three

_Here's the next chapter. After John and Cameron finally gave in to their feelings, what else is there to tell? A lot! Whole lotta lot (to freely paraphrase Led Zeppelin, lol). First: they have to tell it to Sarah and Derek somehow. Second: the vacation just began, there are still many days left to enjoy. And that's what they want to do. After all: that's the main reason they're here. But first things first – John told his mom to meet at the supper. So … supper plus inevitable talk with his mom; the second in one day. Gee … they've done more talking in one day than in entire season of the show, I guess. I only hope it's not too boring._

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**Chapter 17 - Revelations & Reveries, Part Three**

"Am I dressed correctly for the supper?" Cameron stood in front of the mirror, pivoting from one side to another to look at herself just like any girl, trying to figure out if she made the right choice of clothing for the occasion. She tilted her head and her eyes ran down her attire. She chose a short, very short, sleeveless black dress, giving a whole new meaning to the famous little black dress.

John stood behind her and fought a losing battle with his hormones. He eyed Cameron like any hormonally driven teenager would, looking at a beautiful girl and his cloggy mind came up with one single clear thought: _She's seducing me with everything she's got!_ He swallowed hard and his eyes ran down her smooth legs to her chose of footwear that was something completely unexpected. Instead of her usual choice – combat boots, she decided for black sandals with quite high heels that infinitely underlined the perfect shape of her legs. He had absolutely no idea that she even had something like that in her choice of shoes.

Cameron turned to look at him, expecting an answer to her question with creased forehead. "John?"

Her questioning voice finally broke the spell, John found himself in, and he abruptly snapped his eyes to look into hers: "Sorry, Cam, I missed your question?"

Cameron grinned at him, noticing his complete distraction and took a step toward him, putting her arms on his shoulders, clasping her hands behind his neck: "I asked if I chose the appropriate dress for this occasion. Do I look all right?" She cocked her head and looked at him seductively.

"All right? Hell, Cam, you look great, you look gorgeous; you're going to be the center of attention down there. Aren't you overdoing it a little? I mean … this sexy dress for an ordinary supper?" John couldn't help but drool a little over her appearance.

Cameron put on her blank face: "John, you said yourself that I should behave more like a human girl to convince your mother and Derek. I'm trying to fit in better, so …" She did her best to maintain the blank terminator expression, but she found it increasingly difficult to act so machine-like around John since she experienced his love.

"Yeah, sure, but still …" John was lost of words and finally grinned at her: "Cam, you'll be the most beautiful girl in the restaurant." He put his hands to her sides and pulled her into a kiss. After they broke it, he whispered: "Shall we go now my princess?"

Cameron nodded with a happy smile on her face and linked her arm with his.

After they arrived to the restaurant, Cameron quietly said into John's ear: "Sarah and Derek are already here – the fifth table on the right in the back." She slightly shoved her head in the general direction.

John turned and saw that his mother and uncle were really already there. He smiled a little strained and squeezed Cameron's hand gently: "Oh well, up into the dragon's cave then."

Cameron remained quiet for a second and then asked quietly: "Is this also an expression?" She looked at him with big eyes. She had never before heard such an expression.

John grinned: "Not exactly, I just made it up. But I know that you understand what I mean."

Cameron looked indecisive for a second but smiled at him and nodded.

Sarah sat at the table and waited for her son and Cameron to join them. She already had a short discussion with Derek to persuade him not to spoil anything. Derek managed to get rid of the alcohol induced dizziness quite good and was now more prepared to listen to Sarah, so he promised he would behave himself and not spoil the evening.

"Here you are!" John's voice from nearby brought her out of her thoughts and she looked at him. The first thing she noticed, however, wasn't John, but Cameron, standing there in her little black dress, her arm linked with Johns and smiling warmly at her son. She slightly shook her head and wiped her eyes as if she'd believe to hallucinate. The cyborg was so different from the one she knew that it took her breath away. But before she could say anything, John complained: "I see that you chose to sit at the opposite sides of the table, just to prevent me from sitting close to Cameron." He sighed theatrically and turned to Cameron: "Sorry, Cameron, but, seeing that we can't sit together, I think you should sit beside my mom. I'll take the free spot beside this sulking man." He looked at Derek to see if he would react to his comment but was surprised a little that Derek just glared at him and didn't say anything. But John didn't miss that Derek briefly looked at Cameron with wondering eyes, as if he wouldn't quite believe what he saw.

If John thought that Cameron's appearance would have some impact on his mother and Derek, he now knew that his expectations were the understatement of the century. He saw how Sarah's jaw fell open and she stared at Cameron like she'd never seen a girl in a black dress before and his uncle's reaction was no different, just a little better guarded and hidden. He grinned satisfied at Cameron and led her to the chair he chose for her, playing a perfect gentleman by grabbing the chair to let her sit on it like a real lady: "Here you are, my princess!"

Cameron seemed to enjoy his attention endlessly and after she sat down, she looked up at him and smiled: "Thank you John."

Sarah watched the exchange between her son and the cyborg breathlessly. Her eyes followed her son as he made his way around the table and as he sat down, he looked at her challengingly. The look on his face made her clear that he wouldn't tolerate any Sarah Connor trade mark remarks, so she bit her tongue and asked: "Is everything OK, John?"

"Sure, everything's perfect, right Cam?" He turned to Cameron and smiled tenderly at her. Cameron nodded enthusiastically and turned to Sarah: "Yes, Sarah, everything is just fine."

Sarah swallowed hard, looked at Derek, who acted uninterested and seemingly occupied with the menu. In fact he wasn't exactly looking at it, his eyes turned towards Cameron ever again. _That's not possible! No machine can act like this one. It has to be some of her infiltration protocols._ But as he looked into her eyes, he wasn't so sure any more. There was life in those brown eyes and she smiled far too natural to be just executing some infiltration programming. _Could it be that I was wrong? Could it be that she's really different?_ He suddenly shuddered at realization that he considered Cameron as a female for the first time. After the realization hit him, he shuddered even more at recognition that it didn't feel wrong to call her a 'she'.

Cameron was carefully watching Sarah's and Derek's reaction to her and was satisfied to see that they were completely taken by surprise but that they didn't act hostile towards her. Not even at slightest! She believed to even see something in Derek's eyes. Something she could best describe as confusion, pondering and perhaps even a slightest trace of admiration. She was very well aware that her physical appearance was very appealing to human males and this time she decided to make use of it. As she noticed the results were quite satisfying. She smiled slightly and decided to hide behind a menu too, so she took it into her hands and looked into it. After a while, she looked over it into John's eyes: "John? Do you have any suggestions what I should eat? I'm not very familiar with it." She looked pleadingly at him and saw how he almost melted under the table at her puppy dog look. _It seems that if I treat him to my puppy dog look he goes weak and is prepared to do anything for me. I should memorize it! _But she knew that she would never use her power over John to force him into anything. Well … perhaps only into holding and kissing her. She liked kissing very much. It caused the waves of satisfaction sweeping over her and she was eager to do it again as soon as possible.

Sarah, who was meanwhile also trying to hide behind the menu, suddenly let her card fall on the table and turned to John: "John, could you please take care of tin miss? It's obvious that you're the only one able to help her." Her voice came out harsher than she intended to and she regretted it immediately after seeing how John's eyes darkened and hardened. She sighed: "Sorry, I didn't mean it so." She looked apologetically into Cameron's eyes and turned to John's afterwards. _Why on earth did I just apologize to a terminator? Christ, Sarah, you're losing it!_ But deep down she already knew that it was only natural to act this way. How Cameron behaved since they came to this vacation was so different from any machine that she couldn't even begin to count the differences.

John cast his mother one, not exactly seriously meant, withering look and turned to Cameron: "I have no idea what you'd like. Perhaps some pasta?" Ha paused and continued carefully: "Can you taste the food at all?"

Cameron gave him an 'are you really that dense?' look: "Of course I can. I already told you once: I wouldn't be much worth if I couldn't feel. And tasting the food is one of these feelings."

John felt how his cheeks got warm and probably rosy and cursed himself for being so clumsy: "Yeah, you did, Cam. Sorry, it's just … I'm not used to … to …"

"Machines tasting the food and having feelings?" Cameron finished his sentence in a questioning voice with a ghost of a smile. "I'm a machine, John and there's no fairy or wizard to change that. I'm a mechanical life form and that's how it's going to be, so I have to accept it and deal with it." She stopped with open mouth as if she would want to say something more, but changed her mind. _I can only hope that you will be able to deal with it too John. _She looked at him slightly confused and then turned her eyes back to the menu: "I'll take the little mixed salad and chocolate ice cream. Pasta would be too much."

John was feeling stupid and stretched his arm across the table to put his hand over hers, resting on the table. "Sorry Cam, I didn't mean to hurt you. You know I never would, right?"

Cameron smiled back at him: "I know John. But I still won't take pasta."

John sighed and smiled relieved. He squeezed her hand one more time and pulled his own back to not challenge his mother too much.

Sarah witnessed their conversation with mixed emotions. She could clearly see that there was something going on between the two, but this was not the place to discuss it. Later she would talk to John and he would have some explaining to do. _As me too! Christ, how can I expect to force him into anything after what I've done? _She sighed: "OK, we should order then." Nobody had anything to object, so she motioned for the waiter to come and take their orders.

After they ordered the food and their drinks, Sarah tried desperately to initiate a casual talk, but failed miserably. Derek acted like he wouldn't be present at the table at all; John was answering with shortest possible words and looked dreamily at Cameron. The only one who seemed to be prepared to have a conversation at all was Cameron. _I can't believe it! The cyborg is the only one who would talk to me normally! The human males wouldn't even answer me! For Christ's sake!_

After the supper was served, they all engaged in the new activity. John was curiously eying Cameron. He did saw her taking a bite or two before, but until earlier in the morning, as she took a pancake for breakfast, he had no idea that she could eat almost as a human girl. He noticed how carefully and measured she sliced the salad into small pieces, popped them into mouth and chewed them thoroughly before swallowing. Suddenly she stopped and looked at him: "Am I doing something wrong?"

John swallowed the bite he just took off his steak and shook his head a little embarrassed: "No, you're doing it perfectly, I'm just mesmerized by you …" He trailed off and stopped before he would say too much. He didn't miss Cameron's thankful but also impish smile as well as his mother's annoyed look.

After they finished their food, with John being completely lost in watching Cameron how she obviously enjoyed her ice cream, John finally turned to his mother: "Mom, I think that there are some things we should discuss." A sense of déjà-vu came over him. _Gee, we just had a talk like this in the morning and now for the second time in one day I have to have a serious discussion with my mother! _He looked at her seriously.

Sarah nodded, relieved, that he was the one to initiate it: "Right. I think that we should probably go to my room. There are too many people here to remain undisturbed." She rose and turned to Derek: "Where are you going to be?"

For the first time this evening Derek opened his mouth to speak: "I'll just go into the bar and have a large mug of coffee."

Sarah nodded and added threateningly: "Don't try to drink any more alcohol!"

Derek shuddered: "As if I would! I've had more than enough of it for the time being."

Sarah nodded and grinned at him: "Good!" Then she turned to John: "Shall we?"

John nodded and stood up, reaching for Cameron's hand and guiding her towards Sarah.

Sarah looked at Cameron with big eyes: "But … I thought we'd have a talk alone? What's she doing with you?"

John looked at his mother: "She's going with me. There's nothing you or anyone else can tell me that can't be said in front of her. Besides … what are we going to talk about is her business just as much as mine. She's in. Period."

Sarah was taken aback with her son's resolute standing and as she looked into his defiant eyes, she knew that this was a fight she couldn't win. So she just nodded and went for the exit.

They ascended toward Sarah's room in silence, Sarah leading the way. She was glad to be in front of the two. She really wasn't prepared yet to look at their intertwined hands, to notice their loving looks, to be forced to look at the way they clearly showed their affection for each other.

After they entered the room, Cameron scanned it quickly and was a little disappointed to notice that Sarah and Derek obviously weren't exactly fans of tidiness. The room was scattered with their stuff like a path of a tornado. She decided that hers and John's room was much more comfortable and tidy. She moved some Sarah's clothes, lying on the bed, aside to make place for herself and John to sit down.

Sarah took a seat on a chair in front of the two and looked at John expectantly.

John sat down beside Cameron and took her hand. He felt how she gently squeezed it and felt thankful for the subtle support Cameron gave him. _She's always there for me, she never backs off. How couldn't I have noticed it before? _In this moment he finally admitted to himself, that he was terrified to have this talk to his mother. As they talked earlier at the ski lift, he was so irritated and upset that he said some things he regretted. But now … he calmed down, he wanted this to be a constructive discussion, he wanted his mother to understand him, to see what he saw in Cameron. Despite his behavior before, he was also still a boy and the woman, sitting in front of him, looking at him, was his mother, someone who impacted his life more that anyone else.

He sighed heavily and looked into his mother's eyes: "Mom, first of all I'd like to apologize for what I said earlier today. I was upset and crazy of worries so some things simply slipped my tongue. But not everything." He stopped for a second and looked into Cameron's eyes. She looked at him gently and smiled encouragingly to him.

He returned his gaze to Sarah: "But nothing can change the fact that you did something I simply cannot understand. So, please, tell me: why did you try to separate me from Cameron? What were you thinking?" He tried his best to control his anger, which began to rise again.

Sarah sighed heavily, but forced herself not to drop her head and to stay focused on John's eyes. It was important to her that he knew that she was being sincere. "I'm so sorry for what I tried to do. I couldn't accept the fact that Cameron could be so close to you. I've seen how you reacted to her and I thought that it was sick, to act towards a machine in that way. She was sent back as a protector and that's all she should be." She slightly lifted her hand to stop John, who was already opening his mouth to answer her and according to his dark face, his remark wouldn't be exactly friendly.

"I said that I thought so. Past tense! The point is … today I have been taught that I was wrong. I saw the way you acted as you believed Cameron had ran away. I saw just how much you care for her." She hung her head for a second, but then lifted it and looked into Cameron's inquisitive eyes: "And you … the way you acted today … I can't start to describe how shocked I was and still am. Today you began to change everything I believed in. I don't know if it's your infiltrator profile, something you were programmed to do … However, I saw you acting as an infiltrator before and this, today … it was different. It seemed more real."

John cut her off: "Mom, this is the real Cameron. She's not acting, she's not following some programming, she's just being herself."

Sarah nodded not exactly convinced and looked into Cameron's eyes. Cameron returned her look: "What John says is true, Sarah. I've changed since that car bomb. I'm feeling things differently. It still confuses me, but I'm not running any infiltration protocols or subroutines."

Sarah's eyes fell to their joined hands and she noticed how Cameron clutched to John's hand as if she would be holding something very precious to her and like she would never let it go. She nodded to herself and looked into John's eyes again: "I know that I can't undo what I've done. I can only tell you how sorry I am and promise you that I'll never go against your wishes again. And to beg you to forgive me. I'm sorry, John, I really am and I'm so ashamed that I let myself go so far."

John nodded absentminded and after a second looked into Sarah's eyes: "I suppose that it was Derek who launched the idea to separate us, wasn't he? Somehow I can't believe that my own mother would do something like that. No matter how much you hate machines."

Sarah fidgeted a little and delayed her answer. But she knew that John would insist on getting the answer, so she swallowed and nodded. She didn't trust her voice to answer him.

John nodded solemnly: "I thought so." He paused and for few seconds they were all silent. Then he looked into Sarah's face resolutely: "Mom, I'm still mad at you for what you did, you know that. After all, I'm your son and am every way as stubborn as you … maybe even more. But I believe that you thought to be acting to my benefit. Although the result was exactly the opposite of what you wanted to achieve. But … you realized your mistake and you are prepared to admit it. Look … I told you in the morning that I may not agree with you, but that I love you. And I'll say it once again."

Sarah looked into his eyes hopefully, but didn't say anything, sensing, that he wasn't finished yet.

"But today things have changed thoroughly. What was an option in the morning is the fact now. While I was up there on the slope, searching for Cameron, hoping for the best and fearing the worst, I finally managed to realize something." He paused, clutched at Cameron's hand and inhaled deeply. "Mom, you have to know, that Cameron and I are in love!" After saying the words he didn't dare to immediately look at his mother or Cameron, but kept his eyes downcast, fixed on his shoes, expecting the outburst. After few seconds nothing happened and he lifted his eyes to look into his mother's completely flabbergasted face. Her jaw hung open and she was obviously holding her breath and looking at John in absolute shock. Then he turned to look at Cameron and almost had to laugh aloud as he saw a very similar picture as he'd seen while looking at Sarah. Cameron stared at him unmoving with slightly opened mouth and eyes, big as saucers. "So? Does anyone have anything to say?" His courage returned, although he knew that his mother's reaction would come inevitably.

Cameron remained completely silent, she just closed her mouth and her eyes shrank to their normal size and John would bet that he saw something like pride in them. Sarah meanwhile also managed to close her mouth and get over the initial shock. "WHAT?" She exclaimed aloud and glared daggers into John and Cameron.

However, John managed to regain his courage: "I think that I made it quite clear, mom. I love Cameron and she loves me. And we will be together, no matter what anyone else has to object." He stared defiantly into Sarah's eyes, challenging her to oppose him.

Sarah was on the verge of exploding and she had to restrain herself not to give in on her impulses. She knew that John wouldn't take it easy, should she react like she wanted too. _After all, I should have expected it. It was more than obvious that something was going on between the two. But love? _She swallowed hard and turned to Cameron, who was eyeing her with a mixture of curiosity, defiance and expectance. "Is it true? Can you feel anything? Do you even know what love is? Do you … do you love my son?"

Cameron took a second to think over the questions, tilted her head and answered, looking Sarah directly in her eyes: "I already told you that I changed after the car bomb. Yes, I can feel emotions, yes, I know what love is and yes, I love John. Maybe not just like humans do, but I do."

"But how do you know that what you feel is love? Have you ever loved before? Sarah was having difficulties coping with the new situation. "Is your love real?"

"No, I've never felt love before. I wasn't even capable of it. How do I know that it's love what I feel?" She paused, looked into John's eyes, squeezed his hand and smiled. Then she turned back to Sarah: "If love is when you want to spend every second with a certain person, then I feel love. If love is when you're prepared to die for that person, then I feel love. If love is when you feel good only when you're with the object of your desires, then I feel love." After she finished, she stared defiantly into Sarah's eyes but after few seconds she added: "And it's very real to me."

Sarah was taken aback after hearing Cameron's words. Cameron was describing her exact the same feelings she felt when she was with Kyle. Still, a worm of doubt was eagerly on its work. "How can I know that you're not lying. It's not as if you've never lied before. How can I be sure that you're not lying now."

"You can't." Cameron answered calmly, but her eyes looked at Sarah with fire. "You have to believe me. Besides it's not exactly your decision. If John believes me than you should trust him that he knows. If anyone knows me then it's him." She turned and looked at John, who was staring at her with unhidden admiration in his eyes. "Do you believe me that I love you, John?"

John nodded vigorously without hesitation and turned to his mother: "I trust her with my life, mom." He grinned: "Do you remember what I told you this morning about my suspicions concerning her chip after she went bad?"

Sarah nodded weakly, while Cameron furrowed her brows and looked at John questioningly. He just smiled at his lover and continued: "Well, we had a talk before the supper and I was completely right. I hadn't done anything, it was all her. She overrode the kill order and chose to protect me because she wants to be with me." He looked into Cameron's bright eyes and couldn't help but stroke her cheek gently with his other hand, causing her to smile happily at him.

Sarah saw Cameron's reaction to John's tenderness and sighed heavily. "So, you're programmed to protect him? Why did you then try to kill us?"

"No mom. She's not programmed to do anything at all. She's her own person, has her free will and can do whatever she wants. She managed to firewall Skynet's kill order so that it can't ever resurface again." John smiled fondly and proudly at Cameron.

Sarah was not so sure but didn't want to argue at this moment. "John, have you ever thought how you will convince people that she's to be trusted? Have you ever thought about the problems her nature might cause in the war? Have you ever thought of her being the target of assaults after people will find out that she's a machine?"

John stared at his mother defiantly and nodded: "Yes mom, I have. And I have only one answer – we will find a way. No matter how difficult, stony, rocky it might be, we'll find it. Because I'm not going to do this without her … or without you. I need you both, mom, so please … don't make me choose between two women I love." His voice got a pleading undertone as he looked into his mother's eyes expectantly.

Sarah sighed and hung her head. Her son knew exactly how to strike a nerve or better – how he could convince her to let him have his way. She knew him good enough to be absolutely sure she'd push him away should she be openly against such a relationship. Even more … she wasn't sure he'd chose her over Cameron. As a matter of fact, she believed he'd choose Cameron. She could see how they both behaved, how they exchanged meaningful glances, touching each other and sitting together too close for her taste. But then … how would she behave if she had a chance to enjoy moments with Kyle? Probably the same way her son and Cameron did. But what astonished her the most was the fact, that Cameron was initiating the exchange of affection just as often as John. If she wouldn't know what she was, she'd never believe that she was a machine. She acted so human-like!

"John, I won't say that I approve of your relationship. I don't and I think it's not natural. But I can see that she makes you happy and if it takes her for that then I'm willing to give her a chance." She turned to Cameron: "And you, tin miss, you should know that if you ever hurt him, I'll find a way to disassemble you bolt by bolt and burn you."

"If I ever hurt John, I'll be the first to destroy myself." Cameron answered with completely serious voice and looked resolutely in Sarah's eyes. Somehow Sarah believed that she was telling her the truth.

Sarah's eyes turned to John and she suddenly felt unbelievable tired. She began to massage her temples and groaned: "This is not over yet John Connor. But not now. Go and take tin miss with you."

John grinned at his mother: "Mom, don't forget that you did something not very nice to me." Sarah's eyes snapped up to look at him. She really forgot that the topic of this talk wasn't John's relationship with Cameron but her betrayal of his trust. She suddenly felt a bit ashamed. But before she could say anything, John continued: "Mom, I can't say that it's over." He copied her words almost perfectly. "But I will never bring up this mistake again. In time I'll also be able to forgive you. But not just yet." He looked into Sarah's sad eyes, stood up and stepped to her. For a second he looked at her and then bowed to her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Then he turned and stretched his arm towards Cameron. She stood up, took his hand and turned to Sarah: "Thank you Sarah."

John tugged her towards the door and left confused but slightly smiling Sarah behind.

After they reached the door of their room, Cameron stopped and caused John to stumble a bit, for he wasn't ready to let her hand go. "What? Why did you stop, Cam?"

Cameron looked at him with questioning eyes: "John, why did you tell Sarah that we are in love? I know that I love you and I know that you love me too, but I still didn't expect you to immediately tell it to Sarah. I don't know if it was a wise decision."

John grinned at her: "You're wrong Cam. This was the best opportunity to tell my mom. We would never get a better one. She was plagued by guilt to have plotted against us and she was reluctant to put up a fight against our relationship. On every other occasion she'd not only yell, she'd probably do much more. But so … call it leverage or whatever you want, I simply used the occasion, I used her weak moment to drop this bomb." He bowed to her and kissed her deeply, forgetting that they were still in the corridor.

When she felt his lips on hers, Cameron gave herself into this sensation and surrendered into sweet kiss. After their lips finally parted, she whispered: "John Connor, you're one wicked son of a …" Her further words were stopped by John's lips. After another kiss he stretched to her ear: "I know, Cam. I learned form the best: my mom and you!"

Cameron's head jerked back and she looked at him astonished: "While, you …" And yet again John stopped her with a kiss.

TBC


	18. Revelations & Reveries, Part Four

_Thank you guys, you're the best! I really didn't expect to gain such a positive response with this story. I'm no writer (especially not in English, LOL) and to reach out to so many people … well, it's simply amazing._

_The next chapter: I promise it's the last one dedicated exclusively to 'revelations'. From the next one there'll be even more fluffy moments, silly action, teenage behavior … the story is going to lighten up and they're going to do what they came to do – winter activities._

_This chapter might be a bit surprising … or not? I used some stuff from the show in it – as a 'template'. If the last section of this chapter confuses you - I'd just like to remind you that after I finish this story, I'll post a prequel to explain why Cameron and John act like they do from the beginning of this story._

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**Chapter 18 - Revelations & Reveries, Part Four**

After John and Cameron left, Sarah sat unmoving for few more minutes, her face hidden in her palms and completely lost in her thoughts. She was still trying to devour everything John and Cameron just told her. Her son was in love with a machine! Even stranger - it seemed that this same machine was also in love with her son, no matter how impossible it might appear. But how was it even possible for a machine to feel anything for a human? To feel anything at all? Perhaps John was really right from the beginning as he insisted that Cameron was different than other machines. Perhaps she really was different? But that much?

She groaned in confusion, anger and disbelief mixing in her and sending her from one feeling to another; from total aversion to acceptance. She knew that she'd have problems with ever accepting Cameron as her son's lover. HUGE problems! She could probably cope with her as a person, true … but accepting her as her son's love interest? She didn't know, but one thing she knew for sure: should she oppose their relationship, John could easily turn away from her. He was every inch of the way as stubborn as herself; perhaps even more.

Unable to come to a clear conclusion, she suddenly felt the urge to have another shot of tequila. _Great! Now I'm going to become a drunk if this doesn't stop._ But deep down inside she knew that it was her, who had to change, who had to accept the changes in her life. She just wasn't ready for it. Not yet.

She decided to go down to the bar to have a drink. Maybe Derek was there too and she could tell him the news of his nephew, falling for a machine, Derek hated from the bottom of his heart. It would be definitely better if she'd be the one to tell him than John or even Cameron.

She descended down to the lobby and made her way to the bar in a daze, not really knowing what was happening around her. Only after entering the bar, she managed to return to the reality and to really take in what was going on. She scanned the tables and immediately found Derek, sitting in the back of the bar, close to the emergency exit, carefully sweeping the room every now and then. She almost smiled at the look. _Old habits die hard! He probably isn't even aware of what he's doing._

She went over to him and noticed that he registered her appearance immediately after she entered the bar. When she came to him, she remained standing at one of the free chairs: "This seat taken?"

"Not really. I've only got ghosts as friends, so … go ahead." He groaned while holding a large mug of coffee in both his palms as if he would be trying to warm them with a hot brown concoction.

Sarah plopped down and cast an unbelieving look to the mug: "What? No alcohol?"

Derek snorted: "I've had enough of it for the whole vacation."

Sarah grinned at him: "Believe me, after I've told you what just happened, you'll need a drink. Not a beer. Something stronger!"

Derek searched her eyes for some explanation, but she tried to maintain the blank poker face as good as she could. Either she was very good at it, or Derek wasn't as perceptive as normally, for he obviously didn't find what he'd been looking for, so he turned his attention to the coffee mug for a second, before lifting his face towards her again and asking: "What did John do this time?"

Sarah laughed humorlessly, put her elbows on the table, intertwined her hands and leaned her chin on them: "I have to have a drink before I can tell you anything." She turned to search for the waiter, but Derek managed to spot one before her and showed him that they'd like to order. The waiter nodded and after he finished taking orders at one table, he came to them: "Good evening. What can I bring you?"

"Tequila. Make it triple!"

Derek looked at Sarah in astonishment. "Well, well, well. It looks like our boy did something really terrible this time. After a simple talk with your son you ask for a triple tequila." He shook his head with a grin.

"Don't, Reese! Just … don't!" Sarah growled.

Derek understood that he'd better be silent so he turned his attention to his coffee again and grinned to himself while waiting for Sarah to get her drink. He shook his head slightly and decided to remain silent until Sarah would get her drink.

After a minute, a waiter returned with a big glass of tequila, placed it in front of Sarah and asked: "Anything else, ma'am?"

Sarah grabbed the glass and nodded to the waiter: "Yes, repeat the same again!"

Waiter's eyes widened slightly in surprise but he managed to keep his face straight. "As you wish." He turned to fetch another glass of triple tequila for the lady who was obviously having some issues.

Sarah downed the spirit in one go and grimaced. Derek smiled at her: "So, Sarah, are you now ready to tell me what's bothering you?"

Sarah turned to him, inhaled deeply and shot: "John's in love with Cameron! And she's in love with him!"

Derek's jaw fell and he stared into Sarah's eyes incredulously: "You're joking, right?"

Sarah shook her head: "No, unfortunately not."

Derek managed to gather his thoughts: "What did you tell them?" He forced himself to act calm.

"What could I have told them? That I don't approve of it. What else?" Sarah shrugged.

"That's it? Just … you don't approve? What about puling John at his ears to make him come to reason? What about pulling the metal's chip and crushing it? What about forbidding them to be together in one room?" Derek's voice war gaining on volume but it still remained in normal limits.

Sarah looked at him: "As if anything of what you're proposing would be possible!" She snorted: "They're set on pursuing this relationship. And there's nothing you or me could do to change it."

Derek's eyes flashed at her in anger: "Oh, I wouldn't give up so quickly. There has to be a way to keep them apart!"

Now it was Sarah's turn to glare at him: "If there would be a way, I'd already found it, Derek! You've seen the results of our last try. I'm not making the same mistake again. If he wants to be in a relationship with her then I'll not stand in his way. But I will watch them very closely and if tin miss even looks at him the wrong way I'll make her regret the day she's been built. I'll find I way to destroy her no matter the costs!"

Suddenly anger disappeared from Derek's eyes and he laughed humorlessly: "Sarah, let me tell you something about the metal." He stopped, wiped his forehead with his hand as if he'd try to wipe away unpleasant memories, lifted his eyes again and looked into Sarah's green ones: "Few months before I came back in time, me and my group have been captured by the Skynet forces. We couldn't understand why the tin cans didn't kill us on the spot. Instead, we were brought into an old, abandoned house to interrogation. They put collars on us and chained us to the floor so that we weren't even able to sit. We could only lift our heads for few inches so that we could turn them to look the other way. They also bound our legs and our arms behind our backs so that we were unable to move anything else but our heads.

"They let us chained without water and food for two days and then the terminators began to pick the ones to be brought to interrogation. They've been away for hours and when they were brought back, they were wild with fear. Not beaten, not bloody, but more than obviously psychologically mistreated.

"On the third day they finally brought us some water. They put rusty dishes close to our heads but we remained chained to the floor and were forced to drink like dogs. They even brought us some food, but we had to eat it the same way. Picking it from the floor with our mouth. With our hands bound behind our backs there was no other way but to eat like animals."

Sarah's eyes widened at Derek's words and a soft gasp escaped her mouth. She wanted to ask something, but couldn't and like in a trance, she waited for him to continue.

Derek sighed heavily, his gaze dropped to his coffee and he waited for the waiter, who just returned with another glass of tequila for Sarah to put it in front of her. After the waiter went away and was far enough not to hear anything he continued: "After everyone else was already brought to the interrogation room, I began to ask myself why I was being left out all the time. I began to fear that they were preparing something very special for me. I was sure that the metal figured out that I was the commanding officer and that everyone else was just preparing them for my interrogation.

"I tried to find out what was going on during those interrogations but no one of my man would or could give me a straight answer. They all just mumbled something about music, horror and a girl staring into their eyes. No matter how hard I tried, that was about everything I could get out of them.

"On the fourth day they finally came for me. They unchained me, lifted me, for my legs weren't working exactly well after all the time I spent lying on the floor and dragged me down the stairs into the cellar. Before they brought me into the interrogation room I could hear some classical piano music. I don't know which composer it might have been … I've never learned anything about that king of music, I just know that it was classical and it was making my blood froze in my veins. God, it was purely terrifying!

"After they sat me down on the chair, I finally managed to look around and noticed that the room was very small, there were only two chairs at the opposite sides of an old, almost broken table. The music was coming from the room next door. After a while it stopped and my interrogator came in. I can tell you that I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw what just came in. A fragile, slender girl with curly long brown hair and big brown eyes. I knew her, but it couldn't have been the same girl I knew, for she's been missing for few weeks already. Whoever was missing for such a long time was definitely already dead. Then I looked into her eyes and saw coldness there. Then I realized that I was looking into the eyes of a terminator."

"Was it …?" Sarah gasped and couldn't finish her question.

Derek nodded without looking at her: "Yes, it was the metal, John's pursuing a relationship with." He finally lifted his head and looked at Sarah. She could see tears forming in his eyes as he was reliving the horror of the nightmare again. She put her hand over his: "I'm sorry Derek. What did she do to you? Did she torture you?"

Derek sniffed and wiped his eyes: "Not like you would think. She didn't even touch me! She just sat there in front of me, stared into my eyes and asked questions about John Connor and the camp. She stared at me unmoving and unblinking for six hours straight! Six hours, Sarah! Every time I tried to look away, the other terminators forced me to look back into her eyes. Cold, lifeless eyes! There was nothing in there, I felt like I'd be watching into the coldest Siberian winter."

Sarah gently squeezed his hand but in the next moment she said something she'd never thought possible: "But she changed. She's not that cold machine anymore. You saw it yourself."

Derek appeared to be completely lost in his thoughts and obviously didn't hear her, for he never even tried to answer. After few second he continued: "You have no idea how it is to look into such eyes. At first I thought I'd manage it, but after an hour, I began to tremble and after two hours I was completely out of my mind. And she continued staring at me and repeating the same questions over and over again. Sarah, I broke down! She broke me with just a stare and I told her where the camp was."

He sighed and looked into Sarah's eyes again: "After they brought me back to my chain, I fainted. As I regained my consciousness I realized that my chain was much longer than before, my hands were free and beside me there was an axe. Everyone else was dead. I managed to cut the chain with the axe and fled like all the hell's furies would be hot on my heels. I didn't even realize that there were absolutely no machines around. I was completely alone."

Sarah frowned: "Who could have left an axe there and why?"

Derek shrugged: "I have no idea and I never really asked myself who and why. I was too glad to be free." He made a short pause and continued: "I had no idea where I was so I wandered around for a week before I found a recon team which then brought me back to the camp. And after I entered it, the first one I met was the metal. I tried to shoot it, but the guy who brought me in stopped me and told me she were on our side."

Sarah nodded absentminded: "Probably she had tried to infiltrate the camp they discovered her and reprogrammed her." She focused on Derek again: "Derek, I can't tell you how sorry I am that you had to go through such torture."

She wanted to continue but before she could, Derek cut her off: "The irony is that two days after I came to the camp, one of reprogrammed terminators went berserk and killed a lot of people. I was already on his list, I already stared into the mouth of a gun as she appeared and destroyed him. First she almost made me go mad and few days later she saved my life. Isn't it the purest irony?" He laughed silently and continued: "Do you know what was the scariest of all? Not the fact that she brought me to the edge of sanity; not the fact that I lost all my men; not the irony that she saved my life. The worst thing was the fact that I caved in; the fact that I betrayed John Connor."

Sarah looked at him: "Did anything bad happen because of that? Did they kill John? Did they manage to harm him?"

Derek shook his head.

"Well, than it's not so bad. Your act had no negative consequences." Sarah forced her to a small smile. After a short pause she started: "But the fact remains that Cameron, whom we know, isn't that terminator anymore. She changed. John changed her." _I can't believe that I'm defending a terminator! I must be completely out of my mind. Oh well, I'm not protecting her, I'm protecting John!_

This time Derek heard her remark and jerked his head up to look into Sarah's eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but reconsidered and hung it again. After a long pause, so long that Sarah didn't even expect him to say anything more, he said more to himself than to Sarah: "I know. I've seen life in her eyes before. I've seen how she looks at John. And that's what scares the hell out of me – the fact that she seems more human than machine. If a machine can change so much …" He trailed off and lost himself in his thoughts again.

Sarah nodded: "I understand your fears. But John says that she's unique. And he should know what he's talking about. I think that there may be few machines, reaching self awareness, but very few. I think that Skynet wouldn't exactly approve of self aware machines roaming around and handling according to their own agendas." She laid a hand on his shoulder: "Come, Derek, I think it would be best if we'd try to get some sleep. So much happened today and I'm really tired. We'll have a lot to discuss in following days. We cannot solve the problem, if it is a problem at all, it right now. Especially not in such mental condition as you're in."

Derek nodded and looked into her eyes. His face was tired and his eyes lost the fire which she saw in them only few minutes ago. It looked like he'd aged ten years in a matter of minutes. "I guess you're right Sarah." He stood from his chair and offered Sarah his hand.

She accepted it and after they started towards their room, Sarah nudged him with her elbow: "I'm glad that you finally decided to let go of your hatred for Cameron. Well, at least I now know why you hate her so much."

Derek shook his head: "I really don't know if I still hate her. Can you hate someone who's obviously making your nephew, whom you love very much, happy? I still trust her only as far as I can throw her, but I'll give her a chance."

Sarah grinned: "I guess that's more than anyone could ask for. Just for the record: I think you couldn't even move her. And throwing her would be something I'd really like to see."

After Cameron and John finally managed to let go of each others' lips for long enough to open the door and enter their room, they continued to kiss on the other side of the door in the room They didn't manage to get into the room, they simply stayed right behind the entrance and hung on each other like hungry wolves. Cameron was enjoying it more than she thought she would be capable of. John noticed how eager she was to be kissed and was only too happy to fulfill and even surpass her expectations. The fact was that he enjoyed it just as much as Cameron. He remembered some of the girls he kissed in the past, including Riley and realized that those kisses were actually only fooling around and had nothing in common with real kissing. This, with Cameron … this was it! Now he finally knew how it was to kiss the one you love, to be lost in emotions. He even felt a little ashamed to be thinking of someone else while kissing the love of his life.

Few kisses and many minutes later Cameron finally decided that she wanted to ask John an important question. She leaned back in his embrace and looked into his eyes: "John?"

John glanced dreamily in the beautiful face of his beloved: "Yeah, Cam?"

"May I ask you something?"

"Of course! Anything you want."

Cameron stammered a little and that caught John's attention. It was absolutely uncharacteristically for her to stammer. He tilted his head and smiled at her to encourage her. "John, there's something I'd like to know." She paused again and her eyes darted around for a second. Then she focused on him again: "Why did you change your attitude towards me so much lately?"

John frowned: "What do you mean, Cam?" But he knew exactly what she was getting at and he was actually only buying time to consider his answer. He knew he would have to be very careful. Cameron was not only a walking heart attack, she was also kind of walking lie detector and while she was so close to him, hugging him, she'd have no troubles detecting should he try to lie to her. He was just hoping she would be distracted by kisses and his hands, roaming along her back. Even if it was just a foolish hope.

Cameron finally got her emotions under control and noticed that he wasn't exactly truthful, but decided not to pursue that fact until she got her answers, so she replied without hesitation: "Few weeks ago you didn't want to have anything to do with me. You despised me, you sent me away anytime I tried to talk to you. You ran away from me every time you thought I was too close. But shortly before this vacation you changed completely." She looked into his eyes a bit insecure and waited for his answer.

John felt embarrassed. He understood exactly what Cameron was asking and couldn't believe that he'd been such a pain in the ass before. He knew that he behaved very ugly and now he only wanted to make it up to her for all abuses he'd subjected her to before. He sighed: "I'm sorry Cam for being such a jerk."

"John, you don't have to apologize to me constantly. You've done it quite a few times in last days and you're beginning to sound boring." She grinned at him mischievously to show him that she was just joking and continued: "I'm happier now than I've ever been. I just want to know what changed your attitude." She gently stroked his cheek. She really just wanted to know why he suddenly admitted to his feelings for her. She needed to know what happened to change his mind, to make him to admit his feelings for her. She needed to be reassured that it wasn't just a temporary change of his mind but that he would still care for her also after this vacation was over. Her big brown eyes gazed warmly at him.

John swallowed, leaned into her hand on his cheek and put his hand over hers. His voice was trembling noticeably and he was having difficulties talking: "You know … few weeks ago … when I saw you lying there on the driveway … lifeless … and then you … didn't reboot. I thought I've lost you. In that moment I understood what you mean to me. In that moment I realized that you mean a life to me." He embraced her fiercely, clutched to her like to the lifeline and whispered into her ear: "Please, don't ever leave me, Cameron! Stay with me forever!"

Cameron suddenly felt like she should laugh and cry at the same time. She felt how her eyes began to fill with tears and she gasped while encircling him with her arms and squeezing him forcefully, almost forgetting that he was just a fragile human and couldn't withstand her display of affection should she apply too much force. "I will never leave you John." She stretched to kiss him on lips passionately: "Thank you for telling me."

John felt how his eyes filled with tears too: "I love you Cameron! I love you so much!"

Cameron leaned her head against his chest: "And I love you John. I always have and I always will."

TBC


	19. It's a New Day

_I think it's time for John and Cameron to start developing their relationship. There are many unsaid secrets, there have been many misunderstandings that could have a heavy impact on them. Starting with this chapter they're going to find out more about each other bit by bit. Well, there's still the question of yesterdays' problems, which should be solved. This is the chapter to set things straight between the young ones._

_Next chapter will be less static, I can promise you that. _

* * *

**Chapter 19 – It's a New Day**

John awoke with a start, with a feeling that something was terribly wrong. His eyes opened abruptly and after a second, focused on a beautiful face, lying on the pillow just few inches from his, with soft brown eyes gazing intently at him. In a second he realized that he just had another of his nightmares and felt relief that he could woke to such a beautiful sight. He saw, how Cameron's lips curved into a beaming smile as she saw him open his eyes and before he even realized what he was doing, he smiled back, stretched the distance to her face and kissed her softly an her smiling lips.

After the tender kiss, he pulled back a little and smiled at her wider: "Good morning Cam. I love you."

Cameron smiled even wider upon hearing his words and answered in a gentle, soft voice: "Good morning John. I love you too."

John grinned, flopped on his back and pulled Cameron closer to lay her head on his chest: "This is how I want to wake up every day from now on! With my Cameron at my side!"

Cameron tried her best to tilt her head enough to look at him, which proved to be quite an intricate job, considering the fact that John showed no intentions to let her move. He was gently caressing her hair and she absolutely didn't want to severe that touch: "Yesterday you complained that you dislike it when someone's watching you in sleep."

John kissed the top of her head: "Yeah, but I also said that I don't mind if it's you, right?"

He felt Cameron's head nodding into his chest: "Correct."

Then John remembered that he was alone in his bed yesterday: "Ahem, Cameron … not that I'd be complaining, but … weren't you making your perimeter check yesterday as I went to bed? I don't remember you coming into bed with me."

Cameron looked at him with undefined expression in her eyes: "Am I disturbing you?"

"Cam! I said that I'm not complaining. In fact, I'm happy that you're here with me. I was just asking when you came to bed."

"You fell asleep fourteen minutes after you went to bed and I went to check everything. Thirty one minutes and sixteen seconds later I returned and I decided that I would like to touch you so I clambered to you. Was it a wrong thing to do?" Cameron gazed at him inquisitively.

John giggled: "Absolutely not, Cam! It was just the best possible thing you could do."

Cameron smiled at him relieved that she did the right thing. She shifted her position so that she could look into his eyes while her hand tenderly began to stroke his cheek. She felt completely at ease and happy. She remembered again how she once told John that she was a machine and couldn't be happy. Now she knew that it wasn't true. She could be happy, machine or no machine!

For few seconds they remained silent and just looked into each other's eyes. Cameron continued to gently stroke John's cheek and John's hand was lost in the waterfall of her auburn hair, just like his thoughts were lost in the affection for the girl, lying in his arms.

"John? We should get up and take a breakfast. It's a beautiful day again and we can spend it together. Not like yesterday…" Cameron grinned at him as she remembered how they have been separated the day before. But she also remembered how they finally managed to overcome the self imposed inhibitions and admitted to their feelings. Inexplicably she suddenly felt warm inside.

"Do we really have to? I'd like to stay a little longer in bed." John smiled at her mischievously. "With you!" He added after a short pause.

Cameron responded to his smile with her brilliant one. "We will have enough time for that later. Now it's time to get up."

John sighed but nodded to her: "You're right again, Cam. Just like always."

"I'm not always right. Sometimes I can misjudge a situation or something else." Cameron spoke as if lost in her thoughts while her hand played idly with his hair which made John smile wider. Since they opened their hearts to each other she was acting more human with each passing minute. He never before heard her talking so absentminded or even playing with something, like she just did. But before he could say anything, Cameron focused her eyes on his and smiled slightly: "Like I misjudged our relationship."

John looked at her questioningly: "How did you misjudge our relationship?"

Cameron let out a convincingly human sigh and averted her eyes to look at his chest, where her finger began to draw intricate lines over John's skin. "I was convinced you hated me. Before, I mean. Since we decided to take this vacation, I've been completely confused because you treated me so nicely. Before that I was sure that you didn't want me around that you wished to be left alone. But now I see that I was completely mistaken. I believe that you always loved me, but never admitted it. Am I right?"

John furrowed his brows and looked at her: "Yes, Cam, you're right. I did love you, but always tried to deny it and to hide behind the impenetrable façade of a tough smartass. I simply couldn't admit that I could be feeling anything else but aversion towards you. I'm so…"

He was cut off by Cameron's finger on his lips. She smiled at him: "Haven't we already discussed about you constantly apologizing me? You don't have to do it anymore, OK?"

John's lips under her finger curved into a smile and he grabbed her finger and kissed it: "We did. But I've been treating you so badly that it'll probably take the rest of my life to redeem myself in my eyes."

Cameron's smile grew wider and she crawled upwards to him to kiss him on his lips. "We should really get up John."

"Yeah, let's go." John grinned at her and in that instant his stomach grumbled. Cameron giggled at him: "See? Even your stomach agrees with me."

John laughed aloud: "I am hungry, I admit. I just wanted to spend more time with you in bed."

Cameron grinned back slyly: "Is that so?"

John was at first taken aback by her expression and her words, but grinned mischievously back: "If you want it … well … it can be a promise …" He looked at her and saw how she nodded gingerly.

After they finally got ready without further interruptions and entered the dining room, John noticed that they were obviously very early, for there were at most ten people already in there. He couldn't dwell on his observations for very long, for Cameron resolutely dragged him towards the end of the room, obviously concentrated on a specific table. He willingly let himself be led by her and as she reached her destination, he noticed that she chose a small table for two by the window, overlooking the magnificent panorama of the mountains. His look lingered on the beautiful sight of the snow covered mountains, contrasting to the still pale blue sky. Sun was already up on the skies and illuminated the highest peaks with warm yellowish light and in a few minutes the color of the skies would turn into the deep blue one.

Cameron noticed his look and smiled self satisfied: "Did I choose correctly? Will this vista be satisfactory?"

John finally managed to tear his eyes from the countryside and took in even more beautiful sight of his girlfriend, smiling at him. "Yeah, Cam, it's wonderful. But still …" he paused a bit and saw how Cameron furrowed her brows slightly before he continued: "… nothing compares to you. The most beautiful sight here is when I look at you." He bowed to her and gave her a tender kiss on her lips.

Cameron beamed at him, feeling slightly ashamed but flattered. _He thinks I'm the most beautiful sight here! He appreciates my choice! He loves me! _"Thank you, John." She shyly let her eyes fall for a second before returning to look at him with unhidden love. _Why am I responding to him this way? It's not a part of my programming. I just … want to do it. Strange!_

John put his jacket on a chair to make sure that no one would take the place, Cameron chose and they returned to the tables, offering variety of foods and drinks. After they filled their plates – in reality, John filled it to the brim, while Cameron only took some fruits – and chose their drinks – John remained by his choice of morning coffee and Cameron decided for a glass of orange juice – they returned to their table and took their seats at the opposite sides. The table was small and they could easily reach each other across it.

Cameron laid her hand on the table and looked through the window with a sigh. Immediately after her sigh she felt John's hand clasping over hers and she turned to look into his smiling eyes. "Why are you sighing Cam?"

She smiled back and turned her hand upwards so that she could squeeze his gently. "Because I'm happy. I didn't think it would be possible at all. In fact only few weeks ago I was convinced that I can't be happy because I'm a machine. But I am happy. Thanks to you John."

John lifted her hand and brought it to his lips to give her fingers a kiss: "The pleasure is all mine Cam. I'm so glad that I'm finally over the bickering and that you don't resent me for being such a jerk." He inhaled deeply: "I don't know what I've been looking for in the past months. The best there is was right under my nose the whole time, but I rejected it. So it's I, who should thank you for being so patient and for loving me although I treated you like crap. Thank you for making me happier than I've ever been." He kissed her fingers again as he noticed something in the corner of his eye.

Cameron wanted to respond, but noticed how John's attention suddenly turned to something behind her and how his face suddenly became annoyed. "I don't believe it!" He murmured more to himself than to her and gazed at something or someone behind her. She turned to see what was there to annoy her John so much and to her surprise she saw that Andrea and Tim just entered the dining room and looked around as if searching for someone. In the next moment they noticed Cameron and John and smiled a little insecure while turning and starting towards them.

"How dare they…" Began John irritated, but Cameron slightly squeezed his hand: "John! Maybe they just want to talk. Don't be so irritated. Give them a chance to clear what happened yesterday." John's eyes returned to hers and he immediately felt better again, but he still wasn't exactly thrilled to see the siblings again: "Andrea already told me everything. What's there more to talk about it?"

Cameron shook her head slightly: "Let them come and tell us why they're here."

Suddenly John chuckled quietly: "I can't believe it! You are the one to calm me down! Cameron … right now you're more human than I am."

Cameron took a second to process his words and looked at him still a bit confused: "Thank you … I guess."

John just squeezed her hand in response: "OK, so let them talk."

While Andrea and Tim were approaching them, they both looked guilty and embarrassed. John couldn't help but grin wickedly at them. _They look guilty as hell. Well, they should!_

"Hi," came from both after they stopped at their table. It was more than obvious that they were embarrassed and they avoided looking directly into Cameron's or John's eyes. Finally Tim gathered his courage and looked into John's eyes: "We would like to apologize for our behavior yesterday. It was wrong and completely out of place. I won't try to blame it on anyone, for it was our own decision to listen to someone, telling us some things we wanted to hear." He paused and looked at Cameron: "I'm really sorry for how I behaved yesterday Cameron." His eyes fell on her hand, intertwined with John's and he sighed: "I was led to believe you would not be in a relationship with John, so I tried my best to win you." Suddenly he grinned slightly: "Hell, you're such a beauty that I couldn't resist. But I see that I've been told the wrong facts and I can only apologize again and hope that you'll be able to forgive me."

Cameron was a little taken aback by this sudden confession and it even flattered her little that he found her so beautiful. Not that it would mean anything special to her; it just made her feel desirable. There was only one person in the world whose opinion mattered to her and this person was holding her hand right now. She actually wasn't mad at Tim so she smiled slightly at him: "Of course, Tim. I've no hard feelings. Maybe I should apologize for overreacting too. Sometimes I forget my own strength."

Tim grinned wide at her: "Yeah, you are very strong. My butt ached the whole day. But I guess I kind of deserved it. So …" he stretched his hand towards her a little insecure "… friends?"

Cameron didn't have to think about it, she accepted his hand: "Friends."

John watched the discussion with a satisfied grin on his face. Then he turned to Tim: "Well, I'm not going to make somersaults from joy, but I think I can get over what happened yesterday." He turned to Andrea: "We already cleared everything yesterday so we're good."

Andrea nodded and turned to Cameron: "I'm sorry for trying to take John away from you Cameron."

Suddenly Cameron giggled: "Oh, I don't think you could have taken him away from me, should I be against it. Yesterday perhaps, but today … definitely not."

John was mesmerized by her unexpected reaction and her words, so he just smiled at her lovingly. As he turned to look at the siblings he could see that they smiled too. "So … what are you two doing here? Besides coming to apologize?"

Andrea responded: "We came over to see if you found Cameron and to apologize. We were really worried yesterday after Cameron disappeared." She wanted to ask Cameron what happened yesterday, but as she saw how she hung her head she decided not to pursue the issue further. After all it was none of her business why she disappeared.

Cameron hung her head in shame for her yesterday's reaction, but after she felt John's squeeze on her hand, she lifted her eyes again to first look at him and after seeing his encouraging smile, she turned to look at Andrea: "Well, he found me. Or to be more correct, I found him." She grinned wickedly at John whose facial color began to turn dangerously red. He felt the eyes of the siblings turning to him and said hastily: "I don't think they would be interested in details, Cam. The fact is, we found each other, correct?"

Cameron sensed his embarrassment and didn't pursue the matter so she just smiled and nodded: "Correct!"

Tim and Andrea sighed relieved and Tim turned to Cameron: "We're really glad that everything's OK. Would you think it possible for us to join you today? We'd really like to hang out with you. We would like to try to show you that we're not as bad as it might seem like after yesterday." He was looking at Cameron insecure, not knowing how she would react to his suggestion.

Cameron looked at John and inquisitively raised her eyebrow while tilting her head slightly. John thought for a moment and decided that it wouldn't be so bad to have some friends, especially after they cleared the misunderstandings, so he nodded to her while affirmative pursing his lips. Cameron smiled at him and turned to Tim: "Sure, why not. We'll just finish our breakfasts and after we're finished, we could meet in the lobby bar to decide what to do."

Andrea's and Tim's faces beamed at her in relief and they nodded happily. "Sure, we'll be over there. And thanks!" Andrea was quicker than Tim in their response. They turned and went for the exit.

"Well, this vacation could still turn out perfectly. I guess they're being sincere." John looked into Cameron's eyes. She just nodded and popped a strawberry in her mouth. After she chewed and swallowed it, she answered: "I couldn't trace any insincerity so I think they could be an acceptable choice for these days."

"Speaking of insincerity..." John's voice cut her off and he looked towards the entrance again. "There come two, whose so proclaimed sincerity proved to be a hoax." He motioned with his head towards the entrance and after Cameron turned to see whom he meant, although she already anticipated who would be there, she saw Sarah and Derek entering the room. They looked around and as they noticed Cameron and John, they came to them.

"Good morning John. Good morning Cameron." Cameron was a little surprised that Sarah would greet her so formally. But she was almost shocked as Derek repeated the words exactly the same way, although more mumbled than said. But still … he wished her a good morning and even used her name! John's eyes were equally wide upon hearing his uncle greeting Cameron. But they both managed to answer in the same way.

"I see that you've chosen a table for two. Well, I guess, we'll take the next one." Sarah stated with a slight note of sarcasm in her voice.

"Oh mom, we didn't know when you'd be coming down, so we decided not to sit at the bigger table and possibly occupy a place for a larger group." John's voice was laced with even more noticeable sarcasm as he stared into his mother's eyes defiantly.

Sarah's face changed in a second and she smiled at her son: "Like mother like son. I taught you well, John."

"I'd like to think so, mom." John answered, this time without a trace of sarcasm and smiled at her too. "We've just had a talk with Andrea and Tim and we're meeting them in the lobby bar after the breakfast. I guess we'll spend the day together. Will you join us after you're finished with breakfast too? Maybe we could do something together?" His voice sounded even more hopeful than he actually wanted it to. But as he saw his mother's face turn into a happy smile after his words, he admonished himself that she was his mother and loved him dearly.

Sarah nodded: "Why, sure, we'll join you. Won't we, Derek?" She turned to Derek, who stood at her side, feeling a little like being in a wrong movie, but he still managed to nod. "Sure, why not. I just want to warn you that I'm not going up that slope."

John laughed at him: "Nobody's expecting you to."

After they finished their breakfast, Cameron and John went to find Andrea and Tim. Before leaving, John reminded his mother to join them in the bar and was surprised to see her beaming at him and nodding vigorously.

They had no problems finding the siblings, for the bar was at this time empty. Andrea and Tim chose a table close to the entrance, a table Cameron would definitely not choose, for it was open from all sides and it would make surveillance of the surroundings almost impossible. "Relax, Cam! It's no big deal and we won't be attacked." John noticed her irritated view and immediately also understood her sweeping of the bar with her eyes, so he leaned to whisper in her ear.

Cameron frowned and turned to look at him in surprise: "How do you know what I'm thinking of?"

John gave her a quick kiss on her cheek, resulting in vanishing of her frown and a nice, albeit small smile appeared to grace her lips: "I believe to know you quite good, Cameron. Besides, your face showed just what you were thinking."

Cameron frowned at his statement again and already opened her mouth to say something but reconsidered. _I must be defective. I shouldn't show my feelings and here I am – carrying my heart on the sleeve. At least … I think I used the right phrase._

John understood what she was thinking without her telling him and smiled gently: "Cam, I love you just the way you are. And I love you even more when you show your feelings and don't hide behind the expressionless terminator mask."

Cameron felt how warmth spread inside her upon hearing his words and smiled warmly at him: "I love you too John."

"Here you are! Come, join us." Tim's voice broke the magic of the moment as Cameron and John were already loosing themselves in each other's eyes. John chuckled irritably, grabbed Cameron's hand and pulled her towards the table where Andrea and Tim were already waiting for them. Cameron felt his irritation and squeezed his hand reassuringly.

Upon reaching the table they sat down on a small sofa, close together so that their hips were not only touching, but were pressed together. To feel the body of his beloved so close to his caused John to suddenly switch into happy mood and he smiled satisfied. Andrea, who was looking at him, noticed his smile and his quick, but meaningful glances into Cameron's direction. Also Cameron's gentle smiles, directed at John didn't escape her. She smirked a little at the sight and realized how wrong she had been. It was more than obvious that these two were madly in love. She turned to John: "So, John, are you two planning something special today? Perhaps we could go to the ski lift together and see if we yesterday learned the art of snowboarding good enough to survive without help."

John shook his head: "No, nothing." Then he remembered that he hadn't asked Cameron if she had something planned for today, so he turned to her: "Do you want to do something else Cam?"

Cameron shook her head: "No, I didn't plan anything." She paused for a second like she'd be processing something and her eyes suddenly snapped up to look into John's as if she would remember something: "John, yesterday I saw the signs for a 'wellness'. What is 'wellness'?"

John suppressed a grin as he looked into her inquisitive eyes, looking at him with a seriousness, but still with a curiosity of an eight year old child. "It's a place where you go to bath, to go to the sauna, to have a massage and such things that relax you and make you feel well."

Tim and Andrea looked at them with astonishment. They couldn't understand that someone wouldn't know what wellness means. However, none of them wanted to say anything so they just exchanged looks and nodded.

Cameron smiled upon hearing John's explanation. She didn't really care what others thought about her and wasn't embarrassed at least that Andrea and Tim heard that she didn't know what wellness means. She tilted her head and gave John a shy look through her eyelashes: "Maybe we could go there in the evening?"

John understood her look very good and swallowed hard. _She's seducing me again! I wonder where did she learn such girlish gestures? Programming or something else? I doubt that there is such thing as so sophisticated programming. It must be her alone. I guess I'll have to find out._ But the prospect of visiting a wellness center together with Cameron pumped the blood through his veins with increased speed. The sheer thought of Cameron in a tiny bikini cause his eyes to glaze and his breathing quickened instantly. Cameron noticed the change in John's vitals and also explained everything correctly. She knew what impact she had on him and smiled inwardly satisfied to have reached her goal.

After few seconds John's eyes finally returned to normal and he sighed heavily: "That would be wonderful, Cam! I'd really like to go there … with you." Then he remembered that they weren't alone and turned towards Tim and Andrea: "So, we could really go up the slope together."

Tim nodded and began to fidget a little. Andrea noticed it and nudged him. He cast her slightly distressed look and inhaled deeply before turning to face John and Cameron again. "Well, there's still something I'd like to say." He concentrated on John: "I know that Andrea already told you why she tried to hit on you." Then he turned to Cameron: "I think it's only fair that you know it too: yesterday, while we were walking from the hotel, Derek told me that I should try to seduce you. He said that you wouldn't have a boyfriend and would be prepared to give me a chance." He saw how Cameron's face darkened and she already opened her mouth, so he stopped her with raised palm: "Please, let me finish. I would like to apologize to you both, but to you specially. I shouldn't have tried what I did and I'm really sorry." He stopped, took a deep breath and grinned slightly insecure: "However, it's hard not to feel attracted to such a beautiful girl like you. But I see that there's nothing true about what Derek told me, so, I wish you both to be happy together." He sighed relieved that he finally managed to ease his guilt.

John looked at him interested and after he finished he turned to Cameron. Her expression surprised him quite a lot. She looked like a cat that just got the mouse in its claws, so self satisfied she looked. _God, she's definitely more human than I ever thought possible. I wonder if she knows that her emotions are written all over her face._ Then he turned towards Tim again: "Well, thank you for your explanation. I already knew some of it, but still it's nice to see that you realized that it sometimes isn't bad to be a bit distrustful. Especially towards total strangers, trying to tell you how someone would desperately want you to be her boyfriend." Tim nodded and shrugged.

John now turned to Andrea: "As a matter of fact, it was more or less Derek's idea. My mother was just playing along like all mothers do when it comes to their only child being in peril, according to their judgment. Although I can't imagine why would she think that Cameron could be dangerous to me." He stopped and chuckled: "OK, for my heart perhaps. Actually, she already won it. Although I fought fiercely and bravely, I lost in the end. And now … well, now I'm glad that I lost." He smiled gently at Cameron, who was gazing at him with wide open eyes like in a daze. She so didn't expect John to tell someone he would be in love with her. As she saw his smile she smiled back at him: "I think that you didn't lose. I think that we both won."

John nodded vigorously: "Absolutely!" then he turned towards Tim again: "So, what do you think … should we do something to pay it back to my dear uncle? Nothing dangerous, just something that would give him second thoughts and would show him that he shouldn't mess with others' lives. I don't know, maybe a snowball fight, or making his printout in the snow, making him wet?"

Tim's and Andrea's faces looked a bit confused, but gradually they digested John's proposal and began to grin wide. "Why not. It could be interesting."

Cameron grinned from ear to ear. Now she had collaborators in her quest of annoying Derek Reese. She could surely find something interesting in her extensive file on what annoyed him. John saw her grin and understood her excellent. He put his arm around her shoulders, squeezed her shoulder and whispered in her ear: "Your chance to annoy Derek. And we'll all help you. Satisfied?"

Cameron nodded like a child, having been asked if it liked candies and, if possible at all, grinned even wider. "Yes!" She was just about to say something more as John, who was at the moment looking towards the entrance, squeezed her shoulder again: "They're coming. Be sweet and nice!"

Cameron gave him the 'Do you think I'm stupid?' look and tried to skid a little away from him, but met his adamant opposing. She gave him a confused look, but John just shook his head and squeezed her shoulder tighter: "No, Cam. We're not hiding it anymore!" She smiled at him and changed the direction of her movement, to almost melt into him.

After Sarah and Derek reached the group, Sarah noticed the close proximity between Cameron and John, her son's arm, reaching across the cyborg's shoulders and their obvious content with the closeness. She inhaled sharply, but restrained herself from saying anything. _That's definitely something I don't want to see!_ Derek on the other hand, looked like he'd be completely uninterested in anything, concerning John and the metal. They sat down on the only free sofa. "So, guys, have you already decided what we should do today?" She looked at everyone, but her eyes remained on John.

John nodded and smiled sweetly at her: "Sure mom. We're going up today, so you can do what you want before the afternoon. But in the evening we would like to go to the wellness center. I guess that's something you could go along too, right?" His voice was thick with sweetness and he was smiling widely at her. Sarah sensed that this was a mask, especially after she checked the faces of the other youths and found them equally sweet. She knew that they were up to something, but until she found out what, she'd play along: "Yeah, sure! That would be nice. That's something even Derek could come with us. Swimming, lying in the Jacuzzi … nice!" She answered in equally sugary voice and smiled at John.

Derek was more or less oblivious to their discussion and didn't notice anything unusual, so he just looked at Sarah: "Well, that is really something I could do too. I bet they have a bar in there too. And they probably sell beer to, what do you think?"

Sarah rolled her eyes and sighed impatiently: "You and your beer. Sometimes I think we should buy you a brewery to cover all your wishes."

Andrea and Tim chuckled but quickly covered their mouths. Sarah gave them an impatient look and turned to John again: "OK, we'll go our own way now and we could meet at the ski lift at … when would it suit you?"

John shrugged: "I don't know. Let's say about 2pm, but should we want to finish earlier or later, I'll give you a call. Right?"

Sarah nodded and saw that also Tim and Andrea followed her example. She couldn't help but notice how Cameron gazed at John with unmistakable adoration in her eyes. _Yeah, like she'd ever go against John's wishes._ She shook her head to chase such thoughts away and turned to Derek: "So, Derek, shall we? The young ones are going their way and we're going ours." She stood up and before turning towards the exit, she turned towards the teenagers: "Have a really good day, guys."

"We will, mom, we most definitely will!" John grinned from ear to ear and squeezed Cameron even tighter to his hip.

TBC


	20. The Almost Perfect Day

_I promised that this chapter would be a little more dynamic than the previous ones, so here it is – winter activities. Actually, this chapter grew much longer than I expected it to, so I had to split it up into two and this is the first one._

_I knew from the start that this story wouldn't be 'everyone's taste'. It's too sappy, there's almost no action, there are no different timelines, there's no dark future looming over our heroes. Those, seeking such attributes in the story, will definitely hate (or at least dislike) this one, especially the following chapters, which will be partly even fluffier. The same could be said for those, who expect that my characters would be the mirror projections of the original ones. So, please … read my notes at the beginning of the story before complaining that I write the characters the way I do. I'm not changing the way I write the story just because it doesn't appeal to everyone. I ask only that you wait with final notes until this story as well as the prequel will be finished. Many things (and explanations) are yet to happen in next chapters and the prequel should answer quite a few seeming anomalies too. However, I really appreciate your honest opinion on it: positive or negative, just consider what I announced before starting the story. Don't say I didn't warn you … LOL_

_Just to set things straight: I never had any pretensions to become a valued, esteemed writer, to write deep, complicated and heavily structured S3 stories. I leave such job to the ones, better qualified for it. I'm just writing 'light stuff', hoping to entertain some readers. If I'm making an acceptable job I'm more than happy._

_Thus said, on with the story (I promise not to 'rant' about such stuff anymore)._

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**Chapter 20 – The Almost Perfect Day**

Shortly after Sarah and Derek left them, the four youngsters were already at the ski lift with rented equipment and were waiting in a short line to take a seat. John smiled in thoughts as he remembered the young man at the ski boot where they rented the gear. It was the same one who already serviced him and Cameron yesterday and it was obvious that he remembered Cameron perfectly. The second she entered the small cabin, hanging on John's arm with a vague satisfied expression on her face, his face turned the slightly reddish color and he suddenly began to stutter. It was obvious that he desperately tried to avoid staring at Cameron and failing completely, for his eyes snapped to her face about every ten seconds. Cameron noticed his embarrassment and slightly squeezed John's arm, pressed her body tighter to him and even gave him a fleeting peck on the cheek. John simply couldn't believe the way she behaved; it was absolutely new Cameron, more human Cameron, who sometimes shared only the looks and the name with the impassive cyborg, he was living with for the last few months. _OK, not to exaggerate! It's still the same Cameron, just showing her feelings like a human being, not hiding them behind her blank terminator façade. She had always been a person, just didn't show it to anyone._ It was evident that she noticed the young man's problems and even more clear that she decided to tease him a little. _Well, two can play this game!_ John accepted her sudden playfulness and turned to her while the man gazed at them: "So Cameron, would you like the same gear you had yesterday?"

Cameron turned to him and just as she opened her mouth to answer, he silenced her with his lips, crashing eagerly onto hers. For a split second she stiffened and processed the new situation unsure of what to do, but quickly accepted the unexpected gift and returned the kiss, while looking at the man behind the counter from the corner of her eye. She couldn't help but smile into the kiss as she saw how his face suddenly turned scarlet and his hands fumbled around in utter embarrassment. It was more than she was originally intending to do to embarrass the young man, but she wouldn't complain. Seeing that they achieved their goal, she gently nudged John to stop the show. He seemed not to have understood the gesture, or perhaps he did understand, but chose to pretend not to understand, for he showed no intentions to break the kiss. For a second Cameron considered to withdraw from the kiss, but she enjoyed it too much to strictly follow the course of her thoughts, so she allowed herself to enjoy it a little more.

After few seconds John too realized that their action resulted in desired effects, so he slowly let go of Cameron's lips, but kept his only inches away. He opened his eyes and while looking in Cameron's slightly unfocused brown pools, he grinned at her: "I guess we pulled a nice show for the guy, don't you think so?"

She nodded and whispered back: "We most certainly did. Maybe we should practice it a little bit more? I'm not sure if I got everything right. Not now, but I'm sure there'll be enough occasions to repeat the practice?"

John's grin widened: "You're evil! But you know that, don't you Cameron Phillips?"

Cameron looked at him blankly and the corners of her mouth twitched slightly upwards: "I know. That's simply the way I am now." _But I still don't understand exactly what is going on with me. I'll have to analyze everything thoroughly to see why everything is happening the way it is._

After they finally managed to get their equipment from the young man, who was still turning all shades of red color, they joined Andrea and Tim, who were already outside, waiting for them.

The ascent with the ski lift was clearly uneventful. There were not too many people, so they were alone on the seat and could seat quite comfortably. No one was exactly eager to talk, so they more or less sat in silence and enjoyed the beautiful winter landscape. After they reached the top of the mountain, Andrea asked the others to have pity with her and take the easiest course for the first descent. Nobody had anything to object, even Cameron not. She was satisfied to be so close to John and even if they'd sat down and waited for few hours doing nothing she'd be completely content, as long as she could hold him, touch him and protect him from so near. _Strange! Few days ago my main prerogative was only to ensure John's safety and now … now I think it's still important as before, but making him happy became equally important. Maybe I can combine these two tasks – by being very close to him I can make him happy and can take care of his safety perfectly. How goes the human idiom? Killing two birds with one stone? I think I got that right._

For the first descent they decided to take it slowly and carefully, with Andrea being the first, followed by her brother and John, who was trying to keep up with Cameron and was paying attention to her specifically. Cameron, knowing that she was by far the best snowboarder of the four, enjoyed the descent and always kept an eye on John. She noticed how he tried to stay as close to her as possible without endangering anyone and felt quite satisfied with their evolving relationship. Every now and then, she saw how he looked at her and she couldn't help but wave her hand at him every now and then when he was looking at her. His response was always a bright smile and a wave to her. Well, sometimes he failed to wave back to her because he tried his best not to embarrass himself before her and was busy trying to maintain the perfect balance. He knew that it was irrational to try to be as good as she was, but he still felt that kind of man's pride to at least try to look as good as Cameron. They managed to get down without any problems and as they stopped at the ski lift again, John slid to Cameron and circled his arm around her waist: "You are far too good for us, Cam! You should be joining the professionals and drive them crazy. I bet you'd win the World Cup in the first season."

Cameron deadpanned back with blank expression on her face: "Would they accept someone like me? Wouldn't they consider my physical abilities to be of an unfair advantage?"

John recognized that they were dangerously near to revealing Cameron's true nature to Andrea and Tim and smiled in his thoughts that Cameron noticed the trap and avoided it, while still making him clear what she meant. He let his arm leave her waist, looked at her and mumbled: "Well, I guess they probably would have some objections."

Andrea and Tim were listening to their conversation but didn't notice the awkwardness of the moment, so Tim just shook his head: "Why would they have anything to object?"

John thought frantically to find an acceptable excuse without revealing what Cameron really was and turned to him: "Well, Cameron's been a dancer for quite a while and I guess it's definitely an advantage. Not to forget the martial arts she trained and mastered perfectly. Besides … you saw by yourself how fast she learned yesterday." _That was SO lame, Connor! You should avoid falling into similar situations in the future. Next time you might not get so lucky._ He knew that he should quickly turn their attention to something else and encircled Cameron's shoulders with his arm: "I think that Cameron probably wouldn't want to be a part of that circus at all. But I may be wrong …" He cast her clearly questioning glance, squeezed her lightly and let his arm fall.

Cameron maintained her blank face: "I don't think I'd want to do it. It would probably be a bad idea to leave you alone. Who knows what stupid ideas you might get, should I leave you unsupervised." She gazed at him challenging.

John understood all too well what Cameron was trying to say between the lines and his face warmed up, but not enough to show to the others that he was slightly embarrassed. But he also felt a pang of anger over Cameron's words. He definitely didn't like to be reminded of his mistakes in public, especially after he finally realized what he had been doing wrong in the past. _We should work on this. She's too blunt sometimes and I'll have to explain to her that there are some issues with human pride that she doesn't exactly understand yet. Hell, I may never forget that she's actually a child, regarding her emotional development and social skills._ But his voice sounded quite calm as he answered: "Yeah, like I would want to repeat my mistakes. If anything, I learned from them." He stared into Cameron's eyes with complete honesty, trying to persuade her that he really would never hurt her again.

Cameron saw in his eyes that he wasn't pretending, so she smiled at him gently, hooked her arm under his, squeezed it tightly and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek: "I know that John. I know and I'm happy that it is so."

Tim rolled his eyes and snorted with a smile: "Oh, get a room you two!"

Cameron's head snapped to him and she tilted it while answering: "We already have one. Why would you want us to get another one?" Her voice conveyed confusion over such a suggestion.

John stared at her incredulously and turned to look at Tim who was also looking at Cameron like she'd suddenly grown horns. Then he looked back at her and noticed how her lips slightly twitched and poked her under ribcage: "You're making fun of him, aren't you?"

Cameron kept her poker face for a second, but then she began to grin wide. "Gotcha!"

Andrea grinned at her brother: "If you're making smart remarks, expect them to get back at you sometime."

Tim smiled: "Sure! I just didn't think I'll get it back immediately."

John looked from one to another and decided it was enough: "OK, guys, we should do what we're here for. And making fun of each other isn't exactly what I'd like to do here on such a beautiful day. We should go up again. Maybe this time we could try more difficult descent."

Andrea looked worried: "Well, I'd prefer to stay on this one for a while. However, if you'd like to try some other courses, you can go. I'm not going to remain here sitting whining." She grinned at them to show them that she really wouldn't object being left alone with her brother.

It was nice to have company, but John was sure that it would be wonderful if this company would leave him and Cameron alone for a while. He was so looking forward to enjoy the slope with her that he had no objections to let Andrea and Tim go their separate way for few hours. "Sure, why not. I guess that Cameron would enjoy more if we took the most difficult slope, right, honey?"

Cameron looked at him with confusion written in her wide eyes upon hearing him calling her 'honey'. He never used such word when it came to her and she suddenly felt very warm. "I would. But … how about you? "

"Oh, I'm going to enjoy it all right. As long as you're there to pick me up…" John grinned at her goofily, getting an exasperated sigh and rolling eyes in response. _She's getting far too good at this 'irritated girl' things. Does she practice in front of a mirror?_

Tim nodded: "OK, we'll stay here for few more descents. Maybe we could meet here in two hours?"

John nodded: "It's OK with me." Then he turned to Cameron: "So, shall we?"

Cameron nodded, still contemplating how a simple word could cause such warmth in her.

After they reached the top, they actually decided for the most difficult course. There were very few skiers and snowboarders on it. The majority obviously preferred the easier ones, so Cameron grinned slightly in anticipation of a nice descent with very few disturbances. She looked down the slope and found it really beautiful. It was a bit narrower than the easiest one, surrounded by high trees, covered with snow. Like a white ribbon it meandered down the hill, never getting extremely steep, but also never being exactly flat. She cast a questioning look at John and saw, that he also seemed satisfied with the choice. For a second a thought crossed her mind that the difficulty might be too high for him, but after remembering how he managed the slope yesterday and earlier today, she decided that he'd be more than able to master it. Besides … she'll be there to help him, should he need any help. She suddenly grinned as she remembered how she had to save him yesterday after his fall off the slope.

Exactly in that moment John looked at her and saw her grin: "What's so funny, Cam?"

Cameron shook her head slightly and looked at him with amused eyes: "Oh, nothing special. I just remembered your ill fated flying attempt yesterday. I'm not sure if this course has such landing areas like the one you found while you pretended to be a bird."

John grinned back. He didn't resent her for making a joke of his mishap. She was genuinely amused over his stupidity and he really couldn't be angry with her: "I guess you'll have to watch over me then. Or … on second thought … I'd really have to learn how to fly."

"Oh, I'm sure you're not the first human who would like to fly. And you're most definitely not the last. But my intention is to watch over you and prevent you from taking any stupid actions." Cameron answered stoically and after a second added: "It's what I want to do."

John nodded his agreement and started downwards.

After few curves John realized that he really enjoyed being alone with Cameron. True, he couldn't hold her hand, he couldn't hug her, he couldn't kiss her. But, seeing her, drawing clear curves at his side and obviously enjoying herself was enough to make his heart joyous. The sun came out and shone on the slope, bathing the nature in its warm light, making the atmosphere quite romantic. Snow crystals sparkled in the light, the deep blue sky, showing through the snow covered firs, built a stark contrast to the whiteness all around them. There were no other people around and the only sound, disturbing the silence, was crunching of their boards on the powder snow. _That's how I'd like to spend the rest of this vacation. With Cameron, alone in such breathtakingly beautiful nature._

They continued down the slope and were closing in on the narrowest part of the track, where they had to be more careful, not to endanger each other. Cameron, being the better one, decided to go as close to the border of the slope as possible, to leave John more space. He was good, but she still worried for him. She would always worry for him. She closed in on the border carefully and smiled satisfied that John obviously understood her intentions and slowed down a bit, so that she was now few paces in front of him, but quite on one side of the track.

John understood Cameron's intentions to make him more space. _Why does she always put me before herself? She's probably the most unselfish person I've ever met. There must be a way to repay her devotion and I'm going to find it._

His train of thoughts was interrupted by a strange sound, coming from the forest on Cameron's side. Something was in the forest that has not been there before. Like some beast would be coming through it. And yet, it sounded differently. His eyes snapped to the forest in an effort to see what was going on. He was a little surprised that Cameron didn't react to strange sounds, but dismissed the thought. _She probably heard it and categorized it as harmless._

His attention slowly returned to where it belonged, namely to the slope, for he was now at the narrowest point, which was at the same time also the steepest part of it. Cameron was few paces before him, taking the course just aside the forest. Suddenly he thought to see something in the forest from the corner of his eye and his head snapped involuntarily to see better if there was really something in the forest. In the same second his eyes widened in shock as he saw a really big guy on the snowboard, racing through the forest. What made him froze was not that he saw someone in the forest, but the fact, that he was racing directly towards Cameron, who was obviously oblivious to the danger, looming at her in the forest.

John opened his mouth to call her, but before he could utter a single word, the guy already crossed the forest, reached the border of the track and jumped over the edge, not seeing that there was someone beneath it. The edge was well over 6 feet high and Cameron was completely hidden behind it.

In that moment time seemed to come to a momentarily halt and restarted in a slow motion. Everything seemed so clear, everything dissected into smallest time fragment, everything lead to an unavoidable disastrous result. He saw with complete clarity that the guy would hit Cameron. Not only hit; the trajectory of his jump was clearly aiming at her head. In a nanosecond John knew that his board would hit Cameron's head. In the same nanosecond he forgot that she was a machine and should be able to cope with such crash. He only saw a fragile girl, a girl who meant the world to him, being the random target of a rowdy snowboarder, probably double her weight and height, who was racing towards her with a neck breaking speed.

His mouth began to open slowly to yell out her name. The snowboarder was already in the air and only few feet separated his board from Cameron's head. He saw that in the same moment Cameron must have noticed the danger, for her head began to turn towards the board, coming flying at her. A thought shot through his mind: "Don't turn towards him! He'll injure you! DUCK!"

No matter how much he tried, his mouth was too slow to even begin articulating the thought and all that was left for him was to stare in shock, completely helpless, how Cameron's head turned towards the danger in slow motion. He couldn't see her face, for she was turned away from him, but he could clearly see the shock written on the guy's face as he noticed that he'd be hitting a small, fragile girl and that there was nothing he could do to prevent it.

Fragmented time ticked by and the board closed in on Cameron's head unstoppably. John could see that it would hit her flatly, for the guy at least managed to turn it slightly sideward. _Still better than to be hit by the tip or the edge._ He knew that it wasn't really a consolation, but it would still be better so.

In next second the board's underside made contact with Cameron's head. In the last instant she obviously noticed the danger and snapped her head back, so that it didn't hit her directly in the face, but more against her right temple. John was screaming inside, but there was absolutely nothing he could do but stare at the crash wide eyed and hope that she'd make it.

Like in dreams he saw how Cameron was knocked backwards, falling to her back and in the second she hit the ground he knew that she was unconscious, turned off … The boarder, being so much heavier and more massive than Cameron, didn't even flinch at the crash. He landed, his snowboard missing Cameron's head which was already lying on the snow by mere inches, even managed to stay on his feet, cast a quick glance towards Cameron and sped away like all the hell's furies would be chasing him.

"BASTARD!" John finally managed to scream a single word. But it was too late for Cameron. Her body was tumbling down the slope completely uncontrolled. It was more than obvious that she wasn't doing anything to control or even stop her fall. Her head lolled from side to side, arms flailed and twisted as her body overturned and turned in all possible directions, she bounced off from snow... It was an absolutely devastating sight to see the love of his life tumbling down the slope like a lifeless puppet, following the merciless law of gravitation.

John believed that his heart left out not one, but several beats. Fear, no, not fear, horror squeezed his throat like an iron fist of a terminator and his chest constricted like he'd found himself in the grip of a giant snake. _No, please, no! She must be all right! She can't be dead! _

He raced after her tumbling body for what seemed to him like an eternity although it actually lasted less than 10 seconds before she finally came to stop at the other edge of the slope and lay there in a completely unnatural position, with one arm twisted under her body, her head tilted in an impossible angle against her shoulders, legs turned in the other direction. He was only few feet away, but the way to her seemed to him impossible long.

After he finally crashed down beside her, he tried to throw himself at her, just to realize that his board was hindering him at doing anything, so he reached for the bindings and managed to undo them in few seconds_. I obviously learned my lesson yesterday how to take off the snowboard quickly and effectively._

After he was finally free of his board, he jumped to the body of his lover. He saw that her eyes were closed and she didn't show any signs of consciousness. Noticing the unnatural position of her body, he undid her board, carefully turned her legs into correct position, pulled her arm from under her body and finally turned her on her back, gently straightening her head.

"CAM! WAKE UP! CAM!" He cried desperately, tearing the ski goggles from her face and throwing it away careless. His hands cupped her face, only barely noticing that the impact of the board against her head luckily didn't leave any visible injuries. But his trembling hands and his fluttering heart took in only the fact that she was unconscious, that she didn't respond to his cries.

Not knowing what to do, he tore his ski goggles down too and began to kiss her eyes, her forehead, her nose, her lips. "Cam! Wake up!" He tried to force himself to think logically. He knew that she probably just shut down and would reboot in two minutes, but his heart was at the moment overriding the logic of his mind. He knew that he should think clearly. _How am I supposed to lead the mankind one day if I'm breaking over the switch off of my lover? Damn, because I love her! I'll be ready when time comes. But I'm still a boy … and a girl I love more than life itself doesn't respond to me!_

He finally got his feelings under control and trembling of his hands on Cameron's face calmed down significantly. He forced himself not to panic for the time, she needed to reboot. There would be enough time to panic, should she fail to reboot after 120 seconds. He kissed her eyes once again and pulled his head back to gaze into her face intently. Without being consciously aware of it, he mumbled: "Come back to me, Cam! You can't leave me! I need you! I love you!"

TBC


	21. Payback

_Here's the second part of winter activities. The ending of previous chapter might have seemed like a cliffhanger, but you shouldn't forget what Cameron actually is. She's definitely not a human girl … well, a girl all right, but not human. Incidents which could easily send a human to a hospital are just a minor inconvenience for her. John's really lucky to have such a girlfriend, lol._

_Enough of babbling … on with the story. I hope that this chapter won't make anyone sad …_

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**Chapter 21 – Payback**

Seconds ticked by and to John, each one seemed like an hour while he held Cameron's head in his lap, gently stroking her cheek and waiting for her to reboot. _Damn, the two minutes must have passed! Why is she still offline? _He sighed, knowing that the 120 second marker probably wasn't reached yet but he felt like it had been ages since she switched off.

Suddenly he felt how her head twitched slightly and a giant rock fell from his heart. He gazed intently into her eyes and saw, how her eyelids fluttered slightly and opened abruptly. As he saw the beloved brown eyes, focusing on him after a brief second, he sighed relieved and his mouth turned into a beaming smile.

"John?" Her voice was slightly confused and she gazed into his eyes questioningly.

He didn't even bother to answer; he simply laid his lips on hers and kissed her like his life would depend on this kiss. Cameron's eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly found John's action quite acceptable and enjoyable and returned the kiss.

It took them quite a long time to break the kiss and after they finally separated, Cameron looked into John's eyes questioningly: "John? Why are you holding me in your lap?"

John suddenly began to worry: "Don't you remember what happened, Cam?"

Cameron scrunched her face and tried to remember what happened. But it seemed like some time had been wiped from her memory. "I remember seeing a snowboard flying towards me and then you kissing me. What happened?"

John sighed relieved that it was obviously only the switched off phase that was wiped from her memory and smiled at her: "One bastard rowdy boarder jumped over the edge of the slope and hit you in the head with his board. He ran away like hell, but because you switched off I couldn't follow him. I was so worried for you! But …" he scrunched his face in sudden recognition that when she switched off before, she knew exactly how long she'd been out: "How is it possible that you don't know that you had to reboot? You normally always knew exactly what happened and how long have you been off line?" He looked at her with questioning eyes.

Cameron creased her forehead: "I don't know. I should have this information but I don't. You're right … normally I should know exact times of switch off and reboot. But now I don't." Her eyes mirrored her inner confusion and she looked into John's eyes with something like fear written in her own. "Do you think I'm defective?"

John tried to reassure her: "No, Cam, I'm sure everything's all right. It's probably nothing important. If there was anything wrong, you'd know, right?" He wouldn't admit it to her, but the same thought crossed his mind. He was worried that something could be wrong, but didn't want her to know about his fears. Now was not the time to tell it to her.

Cameron nodded, but still looked quite unconvinced_. I'll have to analyze this thoroughly!_ But she decided that this was not the right moment to burden John with worries about her. She'd find out the truth and tell him later. She decided that it was time to get up and tried to straighten herself but met John's resolute refusal to allow her to do so. "What do you think you're doing, Cam? Wait for few seconds until you recover from the impact. It looked really ugly." John knew very well that he stood no chance against Cameron, should she decide to stand up. Slightly unpleasant thought crossed his mind that due to her nature, he would always remain dependent on her cooperation. Should she ever decide not to cooperate, he wouldn't have any possibility to prevent her from doing whatever she'd decide to do. But the second this thought appeared, it also disappeared and he smiled at her gently.

Cameron detected genuine concern in his voice and decided to play along for a while. Not that she had anything against him holding her. She felt really comfortable in his lap. She smiled at him: "I'm OK, John. I don't need time to recover. Just to reboot."

John grinned at her: "Well, if you don't need time to recover, than allow _me_ some time to recover from shock after I saw your body tumbling lifelessly down the slope." His grin vanished and in his eyes she could see the horror of this experience.

She lifted her hand and gently laid it on his cheek: "It takes a lot more than just one rowdy snowboarder to get me."

John nodded: "I know. But still … in that moment I only saw my girlfriend, my love, being thrown down the slope. It didn't matter what you are made of, I was just scared to death that I might lose you."

Cameron smiled gently at him and her other hand joined the one on his cheek to cup his other cheek. She tenderly pulled him down to her lips and brushed them against his: "I'm sorry."

"What for?" John's eyebrows hiked up his forehead.

"For causing you distress. I'll try to avoid it in the future."

John looked at her slightly irritated: "Cam, are you're really apologizing for being hit by a rowdy and causing me worries? Don't you ever again apologize for something you didn't do or for something you have no influence on. It wasn't your fault so don't even try to blame yourself."

Cameron looked at him thankfully. "I understand John. Thank you for explaining."

John grinned at her: "Well, that's a line you haven't used for quite a long time. I kind of missed it."

Cameron grinned back: "You haven't exactly explained anything to me for a long time though." She tried to get up again. This time John allowed her to get out of his lap and straightened too. "Are you sure everything's OK, Cam?" His voice was evidently worried and he looked at her sharply to detect if there was anything wrong with her. He, however, decided not to answer to her statement. He knew that it was true, but things have changed and he decided that it would be the best not to bring up the past mistakes.

She nodded: "Yes John, everything's fine. I'm at 100% again."

John finally smiled relieved, but got serious again: "Cam, while you were switched off. Do you remember anything beside what you already told me? Have you seen anything?"

Cameron had a strong sense of déjà vu. It was a very similar line like the one he used after he reinserted her chip for the first time. He asked her then what she saw. She told him, but was until today still convinced that he didn't understand her correctly. She decided to repeat her answer from then, because it was actually the only correct answer. She never told him that body controlling functions were the last to come back on line while her consciousness and sight were the first ones. She smiled at him: "I saw everything."

John recognized the line immediately and looked straight in her gazing eyes. He saw slight amusement in them and he suddenly understood what she meant. He finally understood that she saw him gently stroking her hair so many months ago before she rebooted. _All this time I didn't know what she meant. And it was actually so simple. She really saw everything. That's why she knew already then that I was falling in love with her._ After few seconds his lips began to smile slightly: "I see. Just like when you rebooted after disabling Artie, right?"

Cameron smiled wider and nodded. _He finally got it! It took him a long time, but he finally got it._ "Yes, John. Just like then."

John shook his head slightly while grinning. He was glad that he could understand Cameron better with each passing day. He remembered how in the past he was rejecting her, how de didn't want to understand her. Well, things have changed. Now he wanted to understand her, now he wanted to know everything about her. Her memories, which began to resurface, were like pieces of a puzzle, falling into places and slowly completing the picture. He was well aware that there would be ugly things coming up too. He had no illusions that Cameron was a sweet little girl she looked like. She had been built with a sole purpose of terminating humans and only her reprogramming and recent development of emotions, she never until now even admitted to have, made her to what she was. He knew that he would probably find out things he'd wished to have never heard of. But it was a part of who she was. A part of this person, named Cameron Phillips, although her darker part. _Hell, everybody has their dark side. Even I have one. Otherwise I wouldn't have killed that guy Sarkissian. _

"John?" Cameron's slightly perplexed voice interrupted his thoughts. He looked at her like he would be still in another world but refocused quickly. He saw concern written all over her face, but decided not to burden her with his dark thoughts at this moment, so he smiled at her, although little pained: "Everything's fine, Cam. Let's go then." He turned away from her to pick up her goggles and snowboard and handed them to her. After she accepted them with still slightly confused expression, he knew that she noticed sudden change of his mood and didn't want to give her excuse to ask him anything about the cause for it.

Cameron frowned at his back. She saw quite clearly that John was somehow distracted and that probably something bothered him. But his abrupt action showed her unmistakably that he didn't want to discuss it right now. So she decided to let it go for a moment, but filed a task, to confront him later when they would be back in their room. He was distressed and that was unacceptable.

"So, Derek, have you given it any thoughts? Have you decided if tin miss should be given a chance to prove herself?" Sarah turned the cup of tea in her hands and spoke to Derek without looking at him. Her eyes wandered around subconsciously and checked the surroundings for possible threats.

Derek, who was sitting next to her, was seemingly lost in his thoughts and his eyes stared glassy through the window. For a second it looked like he wouldn't bother to answer her; it almost seemed that he didn't even hear her question. But then his eyes turned and refocused on her: "I already told you that last night. I admit that I have difficulties even trying to look at her differently. The first time we met, she was a model terminator. The second time she was already different, but still not a bit like she's now. But seeing her yesterday …" He sighed and made a short pause to take a sip of his tea.

Sarah used the pause to add: "I think we should give her a chance. Not because of her, but because of John. He really believes that she's different and up until now I can't prove him wrong. Oh well, at least since that car bomb." She shuddered at the memories of Cameron, hunting her and John through L.A. with clear intention to kill them. She would probably never forget her blank, expressionless face and it would forever remain an occasional nightmare. And yet, when she thought of the same face now, she could begin to understand John why he never gave up on her. _Hell, how would a human behave if their brain had been tampered with?_

Derek slowly nodded at her and smiled. But the smile didn't reach his eyes: "You're right, Sarah. He definitely believes that she's different. One of a kind, so to say." He swallowed and gazed at his hands with absent eyes. "I admit that this is something I never expected to say. The metal was for me the metal, no matter on which side they fought. There was, and I strongly believe that there still is, a good chance that reprogrammed metal goes bad. Even this one. After all, she already reverted to her original mission once. I don't think there's anyone, who could give us the guarantee that she won't fall under Skynet programming again."

Sarah nodded: "You make a good point Derek. That's exactly why I want you around. To always have an eye on her, to always stay alert, to always watch over John. I have no illusions that I could stop her should she decide to do anything to John. But you … I think that you might have a chance to stop her before she could do anything terrible."

Derek smiled and for the first time today, it also reached his eyes: "Well, I'm not sure if I'm up to such high expectations. But you can be damn sure that I'll try my best."

Sarah smiled at him: "So, we have an agreement, right? We will give her a chance, but she will be under constant observation. I think that even John won't object such an arrangement. As long as we don't try to interfere with their life, he'll allow us some more space, so to say." She chuckled: "Funny! The thing I want to do the most is the thing, I cannot do at all. And you're stuck with me, Reese!" She punched him into his arm and laughed humorlessly.

Derek understood very well what she meant and smiled just like her, while nodding: "Yeah, exactly. For now, we just have to stick with it." Then he got serious again: "I might look like an ass, but you have to believe me that I'm genuinely concerned for John's wellbeing. I really love the boy. He's not the general I used to know yet, but he's clearly showing that he has a potential to become one." He fixed Sarah with a piercing gaze: "But you'll have to loosen your control a little. And I don't mean this matter with … Cameron …" It was obvious that he was having difficulties to say the name. "I mean giving him a chance to make his own decisions. If he doesn't learn how to make them now, it will be even more difficult for him to learn it in the future. Now, there are still three of us to protect him and show him how to make good decisions. In the future he probably won't have such support."

Sarah looked at him thoughtfully and nodded: "You're quite right, Derek. It's just so very difficult for me to let him go. I'm so used to take everything in my hands that it's really not easy to burden him with such things. He's still a boy, damn!" Then she suddenly grinned: "I didn't miss that you said there were three of us to watch over him. Did you really include Cameron in this circle too?"

Derek just shrugged and turned his attention back to the windows.

The two hours, John and Cameron spent alone, passed all too soon. After the incident with the rowdy snowboarder, they enjoyed the rest of their time together, without anyone bugging them. The weather was perfect and sun shone from the clear blue sky, warming the air so that it wasn't as bitter cold as it had been in the morning. Even Cameron felt better than before in the cold. She began to ask herself why she prefers warmer weather and the only logical conclusion was that it was more suitable for 100% functioning of her endoskeleton.

They were at the bottom station of the ski lift, waiting for Andrea and Tim. John leaned on the railing with his back and looked at Cameron, who stood in front of him, carefully sweeping the area to make sure everything was all right. He already opened his mouth to tell her to stop doing it, but remembered that it was who she was. It was almost as futile to tell her to stop controlling the surroundings, as it would be to tell him to stop breathing. So he just smiled at her: "Everything OK, Cam?"

Cameron's head turned slowly to complete the sweeping cycle and she looked into John's smiling face: "Yes John, everything's all right."

"What time is it?" John did have a watch, but he also knew that Cameron had no need for one, so it was easier to just ask her.

"It's 29 minutes past noon." She had to force herself not to tell him the correct time in seconds. From her experiences it would sound awkward and only point her out as different. So she settled for minutes as the shortest time interval.

John noticed that she didn't use the seconds like she used to do before and smiled satisfied. _She's learning! In a very short time she'll be able to completely blend in without being forced to activate her infiltrator program._ "So, that gives us only one minute before Andrea and Tim arrive." He grinned at her: "We should discuss what we could do to Derek to pay him back for his yesterdays' deeds. Do you have any idea what annoys him the most?"

Cameron's head, which was meanwhile already turning away from him again, snapped to him and a slight grin appeared on her lips: "There are many things that annoy Derek Reese. One of the top three, probably the undisputable number one, is me. But I think that being cold is also one of the top three."

John grinned conspiratorially and nodded: "Well, then we have two of his top three annoyances right here. So … have you any idea how we could combine them?" He already had an idea, but wanted to allow Cameron to make her own suggestion. He knew that on Cameron's top three list of the things she liked the most, besides himself, annoying Derek Reese was definitely a strong number two.

Cameron's grin widened and for a moment she considered. Then she turned her bright eyes to John: "I take it that you would not approve if I stripped him naked and bury him in the snow pile for an hour, would you?"

John laughed: "Cam that would probably be too drastic, although it could be interesting. Besides … I wouldn't want to let you on some naked men. Besides me…" He waggled his eyebrows and blushed slightly over his own courage but became serious again: "But the elements could be used. How about, we start a snowball fight with him when he arrives and after we beat him, you could make his printout in the snow."

Cameron noticed his fleeting embarrassment very well and even enjoyed it. _He's jealous! He would like to ... what? Touch my skin? Let me touch his naked skin?_ She quickly discarded such thoughts as inappropriate at the moment and turned to considering his suggestion for a second and soon her lips turned up in a content smile: "I like it. Especially the second part." She winked to John, who almost toppled over in laughter after seeing her face. She literally beamed at him. After getting his laughter under control, he breathed heavily: "I guess that Andrea and Tim will have nothing against a small snowball war."

"Most definitely not," came amused answer from the side and after they looked in the direction, they saw Andrea and Tim strolling towards them. Andrea was the one to have answered the unasked question and after they closed in, she asked: "Probably a war against Derek, right? Like you suggested in the morning?"

John nodded and nudged Cameron to explain the plan to the siblings. After she finished, they both nodded in unison. Tim looked at the watch: "Well, if I remember correctly, we decided to meet here at two pm. So we still have time for few descents, don't you think so?"

Nobody had anything against his suggestion, so they went to the ski lift to enjoy the time they still had before Sarah and Derek would join them at the ski lift.

Few minutes before the time they set for meeting with Sarah and Derek, they were at the meeting point again. In the time since they came together again, they managed to go up and down the hill for few times and even got to know each other a little better. John was completely surprised how Cameron behaved. She was acting just like any girl of her age would. She participated in discussions, she smiled, she laughed, she frowned and there was absolutely no way to tell that she wasn't human. At first he was little worried that he'd have to help her out of some awkward situation, but he soon realized that she didn't need any help. She perfectly managed to dodge unpleasant questions without being rude, like she would have had years of experience how to react in unpleasant situations. Andrea and Tim proved to be quite nice and John was slowly forgetting what happened yesterday and saw them in new light, the way they really were.

In the meantime they also fixed the plan how to 'attack' Derek and to Cameron's great satisfaction it was her, who should start and finish the operation. She didn't even know why she felt so satisfied that she'd get the chance to annoy John's uncle. After a short analysis, she came to the conclusion that it was probably because he never treated her like a person, because he never let out the opportunity to humiliate her and scorn her for what she was, because he never made an effort to get to know her. Not to forget the fact, that he had been plotting against her relationship with John and by doing that, he distressed John . It was just a little payback, but it was making her inexplicably satisfied that she'd get a chance to do it. Well, she could have had her revenge anytime before, but she knew that John wouldn't approve of it, so she didn't even consider it as a possibility. But now that it was John, who proposed it, she threw herself into it wholeheartedly.

"Here they come!" Cameron was the first to notice Sarah and Derek, who were coming towards them. "Is everybody ready for the action?" Asked John and looked at his lover winking. He got a "yes" from everyone.

As Sarah and Derek approached them, Sarah noticed some strange smile on John's face and momentarily remembered his exaggerated sweetness in the morning. She groaned: "I think that they are up to something, but I don't know what."

Derek smiled at her: "It can't be something that bad. After all we're in public and no one would risk some stupid action here. Not even Cameron."

"Maybe… But I know my son and he looks too smug. We should be careful!" Sarah shook her head, not convinced that Derek was right. She eyed John and Cameron suspiciously and saw the small grin on Cameron's face. As if John's sweetness wouldn't be enough, the unusual sight of grinning Cameron rang alarm bells in her mind. But they were already too close to be able to run and in the next second she heard Cameron's yell: "Fire at will!"

In a moment an inferno of raining snowballs tumbled down on Derek. The young ones were prepared, each one of them had made a small heap of snowballs and they started throwing them quickly.

Derek noticed the danger too late and two snowballs hit his head before he could react. The attack left him stunned for a second and it was enough for another four snowballs to find their target – his head. He didn't even count the ones, which hit him in other parts of his body. However, he noticed that he was the only target of them. At least at the moment, for Sarah just stood there and watched him in awe as he was being hit again and again. Now she knew what the young ones were up to. But before she could do anything, she also became the target and few snowballs found their way to her. While she spluttered and tried to wash the snow out of her face, she felt how Derek's hand grabbed her forearm and tugged her behind a heap of snow, which was conveniently in the immediate vicinity of their position.

The laughter of four young people filled the air while Derek tried to make some snowballs to return fire. He suddenly found himself amused with the fight. For once he was in a fight that wouldn't harm anyone. Sarah finally managed to compose herself and her first reaction was to explode and start yelling. But something kept her from doing it. She looked at Derek, who was already aiming with his snow balls for the youngsters and grinned like a boy, his eyes bright with amusement. Then she heard the laughter from their opponents. For the first time in a long time she heard her son laughing aloud. Even more surprising was that she could clearly hear how Cameron laughed like a teenage girl. She risked and peered over the snow heap, just to get hit by another snowball. But she had enough time to see that the young ones found a refugee behind a heap of snow too. The only one whom she could see was Cameron, who just threw the ball which hit her square in her forehead. But it wasn't the fact that she was hit that made her forget her first reaction. It was the fact that she could clearly see happiness written all over Cameron's face, wide smile unlike anything she had seen before and loud laughter, that was in no way similar to the one, she heard so long ago , which almost caused her nightmares.

She fell behind the protective heap again and suddenly began to giggle. In few seconds giggles transformed into loud laughter and even Derek's confused look couldn't stop her. Still shaking from laughter she began to make snowballs and when she had a small heap ready, she jumped out of her cover and began throwing them at the young ones.

The exchange of 'hostilities', accompanied by loud laughter continued for few minutes. Finally John realized that Derek was already soaking wet, Sarah's hair dripped with melted snow, he was feeling like he'd just stepped out of the shower, Tim and Andrea were just as soaked and even Cameron was looking like she'd just climbed out of the pool. In the heat of the fight she didn't manage to avoid all the projectiles, coming from Derek and Sarah and had to pay the price for her revenge. John lifted his arms: "Stop everyone! Time out!" He could see that Cameron stopped immediately as well as Tim and Andrea, but before the elders finally accepted his peace offer, he'd been hit two more times.

After everyone finally stopped, he winked at Cameron: "Project revenge: act two! Come with me!" He took her hand and they started towards Derek. The resistance fighter didn't suspect anything and came out of his hiding, together with Sarah. They both giggled like small children. Derek couldn't remember if he'd ever felt so relaxed and Sarah was sure that this might just be the best action she'd had in years.

After John and Cameron approached them, they stopped before Derek and smiled at him: "So, Derek, how do you feel?" Asked John suspiciously nice and Sarah's alarm bells went off again. But before she could do or even say anything she saw how Cameron concentrated her stare at Derek with blank face: "Payback time!" And before he could react, she packed him at his sides, lifted him like a baby and made three quick steps towards the snow heap. Before he could do anything to free himself, he found himself lying in the snow on his back, while Cameron eagerly worked on pushing him deeper in the snow. Suddenly her hands let go of him, just to return in the next moment und rubbed his face in with a significant amount of snow.

Sarah looked at the cyborg, rubbing Derek in with snow with wide opened mouth, unable to say anything. _Am I really seeing how Cameron just made Derek's printout in the snow and additionally rubbed him in with snow? Really? Cameron?_ She wiped her eyes as if she'd believe to see better afterwards, but the picture remained unchanged. Derek was still on his back, buried deep in the snow, his face completely covered with snow and only two furious eyes looked out of the white mass.

After initial shock Derek finally managed to regain control of his body and tried to get up furiously. He was really mad at the metal and in that instant he forgot his promise to give her a chance to prove herself. He just wanted to make her pay for what she did to him. But Cameron anticipated his reaction and pinned him down in the snow so that he couldn't move a bit. She bowed to him and whispered in his ear with emotionless, cold voice: "This is just a little payback for what you were trying to do to John and me yesterday. I suggest you take it easy and don't make any foolish moves. I'm in a very good mood right now, but that could change every second. And don't even think of doing something like that again. You don't want me as your enemy."

Derek remained speechless and just looked into her eyes. They were completely different than just few seconds ago: cold, merciless and they promised the hell to him, should he not respect her wishes. His temper deflated immediately and he nodded to her. What happened next, took his breath away. Cameron suddenly smiled at him, her eyes in an instant became warm again and she gently wiped the side of his face: "You should wipe this snow off. You look like a snowman." Then she straightened, winked at him and strolled towards John, who was standing with his mother and watching her in amusement.

Andrea and Tim already joined them and with exception of Derek, who remained lying in the snow and looked thoroughly confused, they were all smiling satisfied. Even Sarah found it amusing how Cameron dispatched Derek. She had quite a good idea why she did it and she thanked the God that she was being left out of Cameron's revenge. She suspected that it had something to do with the fact that she was the mother of Cameron's lover. John scanned them all and grinned: "We're all completely soaked. We should all go to our rooms as quickly as possible. I don't want anyone of you catching cold."

"Me too?" A sweet voice came from his right side and a slender hand crept into his and squeezed it gently.

"Of course! You too!" He answered without thinking. After he said the words, he suddenly realized that he just told Cameron that he wouldn't want her to catch cold. He turned to look at her and saw her smiling face, eyes dancing with laughter and her lips parted slightly, showing her perfect white teeth. He suddenly felt like a deer, caught in the headlights of a truck, but overcame the initial shock and managed to answer in a steady, convincing voice: "Yes, Cam. You too!" Andrea and Tim really didn't have to find out that Cameron could never catch a cold.

Cameron smiled wider and stretched to give him a kiss on his cheek: "Thank you John! Thank you for considering me."

His shock already worn out, John hugged her with one arm and squeezed her tight: "Always, Cam." Then he let her out of embrace, but clutched at her hand: "OK, let's go to our rooms. As for the wellness … I suggest we meet in our hotel lobby at six." He turned to Tim and Andrea: "That is, if you'd like to come with us?"

Andrea nodded: "Sure! We'd love to come too."

Cameron tugged at his hand gently. After he turned to look at her, she said: "We don't have any bath suits John. We should go and buy some." She looked at him inquisitively.

John had some kind of premonition that she wanted him to come along, but that was definitely the last thing he was looking forward to. He already had some secret plans for the afternoon that didn't include Cameron and he was just trying to figure out a way to get away from her for an hour. Her remark made the wheels in his mind spin faster and he suddenly found a solution: he'd send her to buy some bath suits and he'd do what he wanted to. But she didn't have to know now that he wouldn't be coming along. So he nodded: "Right Cam. I think that they also have swimming gear in the store we were in yesterday."

Andrea almost bounced: "May I come with you? I so love shopping!"

John grinned satisfied, but took good care not to make it look to obvious and turned to Cameron so as to include her in the plan: "Of course, why not. Come to our hotel in one hour, OK?"

Andrea nodded and turned to Tim: "You'll get you sisterfree time after all, see?"

Tim just grinned, satisfied to be left out of the shopping expedition.

Sarah, who was surprisingly quiet all the time turned to Derek, who finally managed to get up, clean himself and joined them: "I guess we're on the same boat, Reese." Then she turned to Cameron: "I guess I'll come along too."

Cameron felt absolutely flabbergasted, for shopping with the cyborg girl wasn't exactly what normally went well with John's mother. She still remembered how Sarah dismissed the possibility to go shopping with her just two days ago. But she hid her surprise and nodded her approval.

John grinned like a Cheshire cat. Everything was going perfectly! "OK guys, now we should really get going. It's not exactly warm and being so soaked … not good!"

TBC


	22. Shopping & Talking

_Thanks to everyone who reads or even reviews this story. Your reviews have really helped me and due to them I even changed some things. So you could say that the readers are also involved in creation of this story._

_This chapter is concentrated more on development of relationships (plural!) between the characters. No action, but I hope that you'll like it nevertheless._

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**Chapter 22 – Shopping & Talking**

After they returned to their room, John sat on the settee and looked at Cameron, who was carefully hanging her jacket on a hanger, brushing every residue of water from it. Even before they entered the room, she meticulously shook every drop of water from the fur and now she was brushing it, probably to judge if it would be necessary to dry it or she could let it dry on the hanger. She turned the jacket few times around and scrutinized it thoroughly to see if it was clean enough to satisfy her standards.

A small smile crept on his lips as he looked at her. _She really is different! She's definitely not a terminator any more. Which terminator would be so worried about a piece of clothing? Hell, even a human girl wouldn't be so painfully meticulous. She's not a human girl either. And that's why I love her, that's what I love her for._ He tilted his head like Cameron would do and kept on looking at her.

Cameron obviously noticed or sensed his amusement so she turned to him with a blank, but still expressive face. No one else would see it, but John learned how to read her blank face and he saw slight confusion in her eyes. "Am I doing something wrong? I thought it was normal to take care of clothes after they've been so wet."

John shook his head and grinned wider: "No, Cam, you're not doing anything wrong. I just enjoy looking at you."

Cameron obviously understood that he was just amused and that she didn't do anything wrong, so she tilted her head to match his heads' position and made few steps towards him: "Why would you enjoy looking at me, John Connor?" Her eyes got that mischievous gleam which John came to love so much.

His grin turned into smile: "I guess you know that Cameron Phillips. If you don't, then you'll have to work harder on your psychological education."

Cameron slowly smiled slightly and made another few steps towards him, so that she was now standing so close to him that their knees touched: "Oh, I believe I could think of some reasons. But it's not appropriate for a girl to have to say them."

"Oh dear! Shortly you protested because I called you a girl and now you're proclaiming being a girl yourself. What a change of mind in such a short time!" John mocked her lovingly, just to see her reaction.

Cameron understood perfectly that this was not the time to answer with her machine logic, but to make use of her gathered experiences instead. "I'm still not a girl, John. I am not and I never will be. But you consider me a girl, so I'm just trying to play along." She wasn't sure if it was the right answer and according to a slight hurt, which flashed over John's face, it wasn't. She already opened her mouth to apologize, but was stopped by John, raising from his position to stand close to her and putting his finger on her lips.

He shook his head slowly. "Cameron, please don't do that. I know perfectly well that you are physically not a human girl. I know what you are. We've had this discussion already. But to me, there's more than just your physical appearance that attracted me from the first moment; that made me fall in love with you. I love your soul, I love the intelligence in your eyes, I love your unique mannerisms. Sure, I love your body too; I'd be lying if I'd say that I don't. But it's not the only thing. So, please, don't try to play down your importance." He paused and sighed deeply, before returning his look to her eyes, which gazed at him inquisitively. "Cameron, you are your own person. That's something you should never forget. Don't bow to anyone's wishes, even if you think you should, but don't want to. Don't say to me things you think I'd like to hear. Tell me the truth, even if it isn't exactly the nicest. Don't try to reduce yourself to less than you are. And you're someone. Someone important."

He bowed to her and gently brushed his lips against hers. Before they touched he could see confusion, but also understanding in her eyes. The kiss was really just a fleeting one, but after he retreated, he could see that Cameron's eyes began to sparkle wetly.

Since he stood up, she was standing stiffly like a statue and didn't even answer to his kiss, she just stared at him. After he looked into her wet eyes and smiled gently at her, her stiffness suddenly vanished and she launched herself at him and hugged him fiercely. Her head came to rest against his chest and she strengthened her hug while letting out a small gasp when she felt his arms encircling her torso.

John felt like he'd been squeezed by a snake, this time not mentally but physically and he smiled a little constricted: "Cam, my ribs are definitely breakable, you know?"

Cameron instantly loosened her grip, retreated a bit and looked into his eyes: "Sorry, John."

John just smiled back and put his hand on her cheek: "Don't apologize for your feelings." His thumb caressed her lips: "Now, go to the bathroom and dry yourself. You look fantastic when you're wet, but still …" He gently patted her back.

Cameron obviously got her feelings under control and looked at him with a ghost of a smile: "I think it would be more reasonable if you'd go in there first. You're as wet as I am."

John shook his head relieved that she returned to her normal self: "Nope, ladies first! I insist!"

Cameron slowly let him out of embrace, but the warmth that spread through her after hearing John's words remained: "OK, John, if you insist … Just for the record: I can't get cold, but you … you can!"

John laughed at her answer: "Of course I can. Now get in there and make yourself beautiful!"

Cameron's lips twitched into an impish smile, and she turned towards bathroom: "For whom should I make myself beautiful?"

"Why? For me, of course!" John answered resolutely, but with a slight note of mock in his voice.

"So …" Cameron turned back to John, "you want me to look beautiful for going to the store to buy us bath suits?"

John suddenly felt quite uncomfortable. This was something he hadn't yet worked out how to tell her. He knew that he'd have to tell Cameron soon that he wouldn't be coming with her, but he still pushed it a bit aside. He couldn't even understand himself, why was he avoiding it like a kid avoiding unpleasant thing. Perhaps he didn't want to hurt Cameron's feelings? He wasn't sure, but he knew that she somehow took the decision from him by asking this question. He looked into her expectant eyes and frantically thought of a plausible excuse why he wouldn't go with her.

Cameron noticed his slight hesitation but didn't think it would be of some grave significance, so she just waited for his answer.

"Well, Cameron, you know … I'm quite tired and I thought I'd just stay here in room and rest a bit. After all, I have to be fit for the visit to the wellness." He came up with an excuse which sounded a little lame even to himself; but at the moment he couldn't think of anything better. "I will probably try to get some sleep while you'll be in the shop." He looked into Cameron's face that was now shoving quite unmistakable although very subtle disappointment. He sighed and resisted the wish to hold her.

Cameron wasn't exactly surprised to hear him saying that. She knew him good enough to know how he hated shopping. Besides, they've been shopping just two days ago and it was probably enough for him for next four weeks. However, she still couldn't help but feel disappointed. Then she suddenly remembered how her pouty puppy dog look worked wonders on him before and put on her best puppy dog look and for a good measure pouted quite obviously. "I was hoping you would come with me, John. I really was."

John felt how his determination began to melt under her weapons like snow in Kalahari Desert. _She really knows how to use her female features! I guess she could melt steel the way she looks at me now._ And yet he couldn't allow himself to fall under her spell again. He had something very important to do and it could never be accomplished if she'd be with him. So he steeled himself: "I'm sorry Cameron, but I'm really quite tired. I promise to go with you the next time. Besides: you are much, much better in such things than I. I'm sure you'll make a perfect purchase and I'd be just standing in your way."

Cameron realized that her pouting wouldn't work this time, but still maintained it; just to show him that she didn't appreciate it going alone: "Well, in one thing you're right John. You would be standing in my way." She grinned slightly at him. "You'll simply have to accept my choice of your trunks."

John knew perfectly that she was teasing him and smiled at her: "Of course, honey. I'll wear whatever you'll choose."

Cameron smiled involuntarily upon hearing him calling her 'honey' again and she made few quick steps to John, bowed to him and give him a quick kiss: "Thank you!"

John was not only surprised upon her action, but also upon her words: "What for?"

"For calling me honey. No one has ever called me so nice." Cameron explained to him like to a little child, while strolling towards the bathroom again.

Before John could answer her, she vanished in the bathroom and left John alone. _She's definitely changed. It looks like she'd let her feelings guide her actions instead of her logic and programming. I think I love her even more than I loved the girl I first met in New Mexico. _John grinned slightly and shook his head to clear it. He had an important mission and he couldn't allow himself to be distracted by Cameron or anyone else.

After Cameron returned from the bathroom, he looked at her with admiration. In a relatively short time she managed to look like she'd just step out of a beauty salon. Her hair was obviously washed and dried and it fell like a curly waterfall down over her shoulders, surrounding her face like a halo. She applied just the right amount of make-up, so that it underlined her natural beauty. As his eyes wandered lower, he had to force himself to snap them back to her face. She wore nothing but a purple lacy undergarment. He could clearly see her look as she was trying to see his reaction to her appearance. _She's doing it again! She's trying to cause me a heart attack. Oh no, my dear, this time I'm resisting you!_

He jumped up hastily: "So, my turn to get cleaned. If I'm not finished in time and you'll leave before I come out … well … chose something nice for me. And of course something even nicer for yourself." He hurried towards the bathroom, not missing a slightly disappointed expression on her face. As he came to her, he bowed slightly to her ear: "You look fantastic, Cam!" He quickly kissed her on the earlobe and took a look into her eyes. His words obviously achieved their goal, for her face brightened up and disappointment vanished from it.

After entering the bathroom and closing the door, he inhaled deeply. _This was close! If I'd stay in there for another minute, she'd won._ He sighed relieved that he managed to win over his hormones and went into the shower.

He deliberately tried to extend his stay in the bathroom for so long that Cameron would already be gone. Not because he wouldn't crave spending every moment with her, but because he wanted it too much.

"John? I'm going now. I can't be late." He heard Cameron's voice and smiled. "Sure, Cameron. Enjoy and find something beautiful. I'll be waiting for you."

He heard the door open and close again and after that he carefully opened the door of the bathroom, peeked outside and realized that he really was alone in the room. Only then he dared to get out and padded towards the closet to find something to wear.

Sarah huffed annoyed at Cameron. "I think you should finally decide what you want to wear!" She eyed the cyborg girl irritably. Cameron stood in front of the vast selection of bikinis and bath suits, clearly undecided what to chose.

Cameron turned to her with blank face: "I can't decide which would look better on me. Do you think that the blue one would be OK?" She held few hangers with different bikinis in her hands, looking at them and trying to decide which one would be the most appropriate.

Sarah exhaled a long breath: "I don't think that I'm the right person to give you fashion advices, Cameron. You're probably better in this stuff than me! I just know that it's taking you too long. I've chosen the suits for me and Derek in three minutes and now I'm following you for more than 40 minutes without any success. It's getting late and I think you really should decide."

"You should leave her time. She's obviously concerned what John would like." Andrea snorted at Sarah, while helping Cameron by holding another five hangers with different bikinis. She earned an annoyed look from Sarah, but no comment.

Cameron suddenly spoke up: "I'll try this one and this one and this one … and this one." She discarded some of the hangers she held in her hands, grabbed two from Andrea's hand and strolled purposefully towards the changing cabins.

"What's gotten into her now?" Sarah looked after her in dismay and shook her head, while Andrea just grinned. Cameron behaved just like she would, should she be the one who'd be buying bath suit. She definitely approved Cameron's choice: four bikinis in different colors – royal blue, black, purple and scarlet. Needles to say that they were all very small, even tiny.

"I think that she's about to decide which one she'd like." Andrea's voice was clearly bemused upon the communication between Sarah and Cameron. She could see that Sarah, although pretending to be the tough one, still had a weak spot when it came to her son. And every time Cameron brought John up, Sarah's eyes suddenly looked much softer. She could even see that Sarah looked at Cameron differently than she tried to show publicly – more like a mother hen would look at its offspring. But whenever she got the feeling that someone was looking at her, her expression turned into stone. Yes, Sarah was definitely hiding her true feelings towards Cameron. And her true feelings were not negative, they were just the opposite. To Andrea it looked like Sarah would like Cameron very much.

Meanwhile Cameron reached the changing cabins and locked herself into one of them. Sarah and Andrea followed her, Sarah with rolling eyes and Andrea with smug smile on her face. After few minutes, the door opened again and Cameron emerged, dressed in the royal blue bikini. Small, cut out to cover almost everything, while at the same time letting no doubts what was hidden beneath it. Andrea suddenly felt how jealousy swept over her. She had an almost perfect figure, but Cameron's was beyond perfection. She cast a quick glance towards Sarah and saw that she stared at Cameron with slightly opened mouth too.

Cameron saw the strange looks the two women gave her and frowned: "Is something wrong? Is it inappropriate?" She looked at herself and couldn't understand why they both stared at her. She found the bikini quite acceptable and according to her understanding John would also highly probably like it. Therefore she returned her confused eyes towards Sarah.

Sarah finally snapped out of trance and spat: "I think that John will like it very much. Perhaps too much!"

Cameron still gazed at her confused. _Why would it be bad if John liked this bikini? After all, I'm choosing the one he'd like._ "Why would he like it too much?"

Andrea meanwhile also got over the sudden jealousy attack and grinned before Sarah could answer: "I believe that Sarah means that you look beautiful and John will, just like probably all other men, stare at you."

Sarah huffed and folded her arms in front of her chest: "Not quite, but close enough. I'm not sure if it's wise for you to wear this one. Perhaps you should find something more … covering."

"But I think that it looks good on me. Why would I want to hide my body?" Cameron still didn't quite understand why Sarah objected her choice. However, this time her voice sounded slightly smugly after hearing Andrea's comment.

"Well, it's your call after all. I know that I'm just a nag and you'll finally do what you want, dress what you want, as long as you think John would appreciate it." Sarah answered with clear signs of resignation in her voice. She knew perfectly that there was no chance to change Cameron's mind, should she decide something. And she obviously decided that she'd buy this tiny piece of cloth. _Not that she wouldn't look great in it. Hell, why do the terminators have perfect bodies? No problems with being too fat, no problems with their figure at all._

Cameron saw how annoyance in Sarah's eyes slowly ebbed away. Andrea, on the other hand, looked at her with clear admiration and with something that Cameron once occasionally saw in Riley's eyes. She had a hard time then to analyze that expression but after a long time of analyzing and watching, she concluded that it must have been jealousy. After she came to that conclusion, she asked herself why would Riley be jealous at her. It took her another extended period of time to finally reach the conclusion that Riley saw her as the opponent in her battle to win John's heart. She definitely felt that Cameron was dangerous, not only in physical sense, but also in emotional. And now she saw similar expression on Andrea's face and it made her wonder why would Andrea be jealous of her. They already cleared the relationship between her and John and Cameron really didn't see the reason for Andrea to be jealous_. I'll have to analyze this. Perhaps John could explain it to me? But … on the other hand … it's probably a girl thing and I'm not sure if John is the right one for such problems. It took him forever to finally realize what he feels for me._

"I'm afraid there'll be quite few family disputes in the wellness today." Andrea suddenly giggled.

"What do you mean?" Cameron again didn't understand her friend and looked a little lost towards Sarah, who obviously understood the meaning of Andrea's words and smiled slyly.

"Oh, I believe that Andrea means that the majority of the men will stare at you and will be at least reprimanded by their girlfriends or wives. At least!" Sarah grinned wickedly at her.

Finally Cameron understood what they meant and a sly grin crept upon her lips. "Do you think so? I don't care what they think, as long as John likes my bikini."

Sarah exhaled sharply and just barely managed to control herself not to say something poisonous: "Yeah, sure. It's all about John, right?" She huffed.

Cameron answered in deadpan: "Yes, it's all about John." Then she turned around, entered the cabin again and closed the door.

Sarah looked after her annoyed and almost missed Andrea's words: "I think it's so cute how much these two are in love." Her voice clearly showed longing. _I can only dream to find such love sometime._

Sarah this time chose not to answer. She was afraid that her voice would betray her feelings. She partly shared Andrea's opinion, but wouldn't admit it. Not yet.

After John got dressed, he quickly left the hotel and turned in the other direction as the women before. He knew exactly where he had to go to fulfill his mission. He had checked everything even before they came here and was confident he'd be successful. After a short walk, he reached his destination and gazed through the window at the items, displayed inside. His eyes swept across everything and finally found what he was looking for. After finding it, he grinned satisfied and opened the entrance door.

He didn't need long to finish his mission and soon he was walking back towards the hotel with content smile on his lips. After he reached the hotel, a sudden thought crossed his mind. He should talk to his uncle. The two of them almost didn't talk since they arrived here. So many things happened, so many things changed and they were still overdue in explanations. So he decided to go to him first.

After reaching the door to the room, Derek shared with Sarah, he knocked resolutely, hoping that his uncle would be in. It didn't take long and the door opened, revealing Derek, leaning from behind the door to see who was disturbing him. After he saw John, he opened the door and straightened. John then saw that his uncle held a gun in his other hand, hidden behind the door.

"I'm not here to hurt you, Derek." His voice was slightly mocking although he knew quite well how suspicious his uncle was and even approved of his caution.

"If I'd known that it was you, I probably wouldn't even open the door." Derek tried to make a joke, but after seeing John's quizzical look, which clearly showed that his nephew wasn't amused at least, he added: "Bad joke, right." He shrugged and stepped aside: "Won't you come in, John?"

John strolled past him and after Derek closed the door, he sat on the chair: "I think that there are some things we should discuss and clear, right?" He looked at his uncle with slightly tilted head but clear challenge in his eyes.

_This definitely isn't John Baum. This is John Connor._ Shot through Derek's mind upon seeing the determination in John's eyes. He took a seat so that he was looking at John directly and nodded: "Yes, I think there are."

John waited a second and began: "First of all, I'd like to know what you were thinking with your action trying to separate Cameron and me. I've heard it from my mother, but I'd like to hear your version too." He stopped and looked at Derek with clear annoyance on his face. Even the memory of the plot, Derek and Sarah tried to realize, made his anger rise again.

Derek sighed, but kept his gaze into John's eyes: "I won't lie to you John. I'm not searching for excuses. I've been through hell in the future and I think you can understand why I hate the machines. No matter how beautiful she is on the outside, she's still a machine. And machines are made to kill people. So it's quite clear that I don't exactly trust her. I think that she's manipulating you into believing that she feels something for you. Or at least I used to. Besides … it's not natural to have a relationship with a machine! I never wanted her to go away; I just wanted her to be what she is: a machine, protecting you. That and nothing more."

John felt urge to cut his uncle off for few times during his speech, but restrained himself. He knew that it would be the best to let Derek talk as long as he wanted to. Especially because he knew how difficult it was for him to speak openly about his feelings. For Derek it was even difficult to speak so much at all. But now it looked like he'd be finished. John almost grinned at himself, thinking that this was probably the longest speech Derek ever gave.

"I can understand your motives, Derek. I can understand that you are trying to protect me." He leaned forward in his seat and gazed intently at Derek: "But you have to understand me too. I'm not a kid anymore. Yeah, sure, I'm still very young, but I'm no kid. I've seen and done some things that changed me. Things, no guy my age should be forced to see or do. But I did." He sighed deeply: "I know exactly what you expect from me. I'm not ready for that yet, but I'm working on it. And in these efforts I need every helping hand I can get. You, mom, Cameron. Each of you gives me something, each teaches me something. But Cameron can give me something neither you nor mom can. She can give me a support you can't; she can give me love, my mom can't; she can be there for me whenever I need someone to hold me."

Derek looked into John's eyes and saw that he really meant every single word. He saw that the boy absolutely believed in what he had said. He saw the steel in his young eyes.

But John wasn't finished yet: "I have tried to deny it, I have hidden from it, but I can't escape it. I don't care if you think it's unnatural, I don't care if the whole world thinks it's perverted … I love her and I'm not letting go of her. You must know that she's my rock in the storm. She is a cyborg, true. But given a chance to show who she really is, she would surprise you. No, not surprise … she'd shock you. I'm not telling you to like her. I'm just asking you to give her a chance. She's much more than you think and believe."

John paused and Derek used the interruption: "I've had a similar discussion with your mother before. She too thinks that we should give her a chance. I can't say that I'm thrilled about it, but I'm definitely willing to do so. I care about you John. If she makes you happy, I'll try to accept it. Just don't expect from me to like her." He huffed indignantly.

John grinned at him: "Hey, that's all I could ever ask from you." Suddenly his face darkened: "Just don't try anything like you just tried. This time I let Cameron have her revenge but next time I'll do it myself. And in such a case I think you'd have better chances with her than with me." Then he smiled again: "Maybe you'll even come to like her, who knows."

Derek snorted: "Yeah and pigs can fly!"

"It's all the matter of perception and right force. I'm sure Cameron could make a pig fly. At least for a substantial distance." John mocked and stood up. "Derek. I know that you care for me. And I care for you too. However, that doesn't mean I always have to agree with you. You are sometimes such a pain in the ass that I'd rather kick you than listen to you. But I guess you know that." He grinned wide at his uncle, who also got up and stood in front of him.

Derek grinned back: "And you, John Connor? Don't you think that you're like me too? After all … we're family and you can be just as annoying as me."

John nodded: "I guess you're right." He stretched his hand towards Derek: "As I've already said to my mother: in time I'll surely be able to forgive you two what you did. But it will take some time for you to regain my complete trust. It's something you have to earn and what you did … it definitely wasn't something to strengthen my trust in you." Derek stepped to him and grabbed his outstretched hand. John clasped his other hand over Derek's forearm: "I'm glad to have you. As strange as it seems after what you did, I really am."

Derek let go of his hand and just nodded. He found it difficult to speak and he didn't trust his voice, so he restrained himself to wordless confirmation.

"I'd better get to my room now. Cameron doesn't know that I'm out and I told her I'd be sleeping. Should she return before I'm back … well … I don't even want to imagine what she'd do." John grinned at his uncle.

Derek smiled conspiratorially: "So, you're already deceiving her? After only two days of being in relationship? Oh well, I can understand. Women can be such a nagging pest. Even cyborg girls, I guess."

"It's not what you think. I had something to do and she shouldn't know what." John cleared the situation.

Derek got a bad feeling: "So you're preparing something for her?"

"You'll all see what it is when the time comes." John didn't want to reveal anything and turned to leave the room.

He quickly made his way to his room, hoping that Cameron was still out shopping. After he reached it, he sighed relieved that she wasn't back yet. He undressed and carefully stowed his clothes into the closet so that Cameron wouldn't find out that he left the room while she was absent and jumped under covers. _Oh well, I could really take a quick nap before she returns._

TBC


	23. Promises Given

_In this chapter Cameron will do something unexpected. For some readers maybe even unbelievable. But I believe that she can do it. The whole chapter is about Cameron and John and I hope it's not too boring._

* * *

**Chapter 23 – Promises Given**

"So, we shall meet here few minutes before six, right?" Andrea asked again just to be sure not to make any mistakes.

"Yes!" Cameron stressed slightly annoyed. No wonder, it had been the sixth time since they left the store that Andrea asked her the same question. _How many times does she have to hear the same information to finally memorize it?_ She even huffed a little and went towards the elevators: "I'm going to our room now." She declared completely unnecessary, but felt like this could be the cue for Andrea to finally stop talking and let her go to John. Sarah just grinned wickedly from aside and let Cameron send the nice, but a little annoying blonde away. _I wouldn't be so polite._

Andrea understood the situation quite well, but didn't let herself be influenced or brought into bad mood. She smiled sweetly at Cameron and Sarah: "OK, we'll be here on time. Bye for now." She waved her hand, turned towards the exit and left them.

Sarah sighed: "I thought she'd never leave. I must say that you did very well, Cameron. I don't know if I'd treat her as nicely as you did." _Did I really just say to tin miss that she's more patient and nicer than me?_

Cameron shrugged: "She's not bad. She just talks too much."

Sarah nodded: "Exactly. So, we'll meet here about five minutes before six, OK?" She grinned at the thought that she just asked the same question which obviously irritated Cameron … and her too.

Cameron confirmed wit impatient voice: "Correct. We'll be on time."

"Oh, I have no doubts about that since it's you who takes care of the schedule. Were it upon John … well, in that case I'd have my reservations." Sarah grinned and went towards the stairs.

Cameron frowned after her but chose not to comment. She turned to the elevator, which just arrived and stepped in. She could hardly wait to show John what she had bought.

After entering their room, she could immediately see that John was really asleep. But it was obvious that he was having a nightmare, for he trashed around the bed and mumbled something she couldn't even understand. Suddenly she felt worried for him, dropped the shopping bad and bolted to his side.

Sitting down on the bed she noticed that his face was glistening with sweat and he still trashed around with his arms, mumbling. Before she could put her hand on his face, she could finally understand few words. 'No … don't, please … Cameron!" Upon hearing him calling her name in the nightmare, she suddenly felt fear rising inside her. _Am I hurting him in his dreams? Did I do anything to him?_

After a second of hesitation, she put her hand on his cheek and called softly: "John, wake up please! You're having a bad dream. Wake up!" John calmed down immediately after she put her hand on his face and she decided to try something more, bowed to him and kissed him gently. Before her lips left his, she heard him moaning and his eyes fluttered open. For a second he looked at her as if he wouldn't know her, but after he recognized her, he threw his arms around her. "Cameron! You're OK!" He squeezed her tightly and buried his head in her hair.

Cameron was thoroughly confused. She really expected that he was dreaming about her, torturing or even killing him, but his reaction showed her that he was probably dreaming of something else. She gently caressed the back of his head: "Shhh, John, it's all right. It was just a dream."

After few seconds John retreated a little but still held her in his arms while looking in her eyes. But before he could say anything Cameron asked: "What were you dreaming about? Or you still don't want to talk about it?"

John remembered how hurt she looked after he told her he wouldn't want to talk to her about his dreams and decided that he shouldn't keep it from her any more. Their relationship changed so much that he really didn't want to hide such things from her. He sighed: "Cameron, I'm really sorry that I didn't talk to you about my nightmares before. I simply wasn't ready to talk about them. It wasn't because of you and I could never talk about them with my mom." He finally let her out of his tight embrace and laid his hands on the sides of her face: "The problem is, I'm dreaming about you."

"Am I hurting you in your dreams John? You were calling my name in distress and I thought…"

Before she could continue, John cut her off and shook his head vigorously: "No, Cam! You're not hurting me!" He swallowed hard before he continued: "YOU'RE the one who gets hurt. I dream of losing you. I dream of you dying while protecting me!" He didn't realize but he suddenly started talking much louder and began to shake her. "And that's something I can't endure. I can't go on without you." His hands suddenly fell from her face and he again enveloped her in a tight hug. "I can't lose you, Cam!"

Cameron felt relieved but at the same time pained. Relieved that she wasn't the one hurting her John in his dreams and pained that he suffered because he dreamt of losing her. She returned his embrace and whispered in his ear: "I'm here John. I'm not going anywhere."

After few seconds John calmed down and let her out of his arms, just to hold her at her shoulders and look her directly in her eyes: "Don't ever leave me Cameron. Promise that you'll stay with me."

Cameron suddenly hung her head and her face scrunched in pain. Instantly John's mood changed: "What's wrong Cameron?"

She forced herself to look at him and he could see that there were tears gathering in her eyes. He simply couldn't understand what could have caused her such distress after he asked her not to leave him. "Cam, please, talk to me. Tell me what's wrong."

Cameron looked in his eyes painfully aware that she shouldn't tell him the truth, for Future John forbade her to tell him some things and this was one of them. But looking into his eyes, expressing his deep worry, seeing fear in his eyes, seeing his love for her, she suddenly felt torn between her mission, between her loyalty to the Future John and her love for this John. She gasped for air, although she really didn't need to breathe. The pain in her chest became almost unbearable and she felt how tears began to flow down her cheeks. "Please, John, I don't want to lie to you. But my orders are…"

John suddenly understood. He understood that Future John gave her orders to keep things from him. He understood that she didn't want to hide anything from him. He understood that she was torn between her duty and her emotions. _How could I have turned into such an ass? How could I have told her to lie to me? Did I really turn into such cold, emotionless bastard? Well, no sir, I won't become alike._

"Screw your orders, Cameron!" He stopped her before she could continue. His eyes burned with fire while he gazed into her teary ones. "I don't care what future me told you. I don't care if he forbade you to tell me certain things. I want you to decide what you want. I want you to tell me everything you want to tell me. Not Future John … YOU should decide what you can tell me and what not. YOU alone! Do you understand?" His voice wasn't even raised, but cut through her like a knife. It wasn't a voice of teenage John Baum; it was the voice of General John Connor.

Cameron suddenly felt valued more than any time before. Her John told her to decide for herself, he told her that she should ignore the orders if she thought they were wrong. He considered her, he cared for her. If he really cared for her so much, then she should return his trust by trusting him too. She smiled slightly through her still flowing tears: "Thank you John. Thank you for seeing me as someone important." She paused and wiped the tears with her sleeve. "John, there are things that I kept from you. Some of them because I was ordered to, some because they could influence the future too much. But I don't want to keep them from you anymore."

John looked into her eyes encouragingly and nodded. He could see that she was struggling with her decision and didn't want to push her into anything. So he just waited, but smiled at her.

She noticed his look and felt much better. _He won't force me into anything._ "Future John gave me an order concerning my chip."

John furrowed his eyebrows. He got a bad feeling but didn't want to say anything yet, so he just nodded to her to continue.

"If asked the correct question I am to surrender my chip to the person, asking me that question or the person, they chose." She finally managed to choke out. She had to override some blocks in her programming to be able to tell him and it almost shocked her. She knew before that she was able to change her programming a bit, but this was a huge leap. Suddenly she realized that this opened vast possibilities for her. If she was able to override these blocks, maybe she could override others too? She'd have to analyze this possibility thoroughly.

John's face was a perfect picture of horror. "WHAT?" He managed only one word, but in his mind a tornado of feelings was spinning out of control. _What did this bastard John Connor order her to? Give her chip away? Condemn herself to death? Leave me?_ He shook his head. "Sorry, stupid question. But … what for? Why would you have to surrender your chip? That means … that means you'd leave me? Why?"

Cameron almost felt his pain and gently put her hands on his cheeks. "I'm not sure. I think that there is possibility that an AI is being developed that could help you win the war. And I should give my chip over to enable it to be mobile. I'm the only terminator with the chip, enough sophisticated to hold an AI. The T-888 chip wouldn't be enough."

"But … does that mean you'd die? I can't let you die!"

"I don't know. But … probably yes. The AIs develop and grow very quickly and sooner or later my chip couldn't hold both of us. And this AI would be much more important than I am." Cameron forced herself to speak calmly in her best robotic manner, although she felt how the emotions threatened to overwhelm her.

John put his hands over hers and squeezed them while shaking his head: "No Cam, you're the most important person in the world for me. I won't let you do this. I can't risk losing you. Ever!"

Cameron smiled at him: "John, you know you can't stop me. If I'll ever be asked this question, I'll have to follow my orders. It will destroy me, but I'll have to do it." Suddenly tears began to gather in her eyes again. The thought of leaving John, of being unable to protect him, of losing him was unbearable. But she had her orders which had to be followed.

For a moment John looked at her in silence, desperation and fear clearly written in his eyes. Then he suddenly had an idea and his eyes lit up: "You said that you have orders to keep some information from me. Were you free to tell me this information?"

Cameron shook her head: "No, I overrode some blocks to be able to tell you." Then she looked into John's eyes, gazing at her brightly and realized the implications of this deed. "You mean … if I was able to override this order … I could be able to override the one to surrender my chip too?" Hope rose in her and reflected in her eyes too.

John nodded and smiled at her: "I believe in you, Cam. I believe that you're able to override any order. If you were able to override the kill order, if you were able to override the order to keep things from me; well, I don't see why you wouldn't be able to override this order too. You just have to try."

Cameron felt how happiness began to take over her, but a sudden thought deflated her instantly: "But John … if I override this order, then you perhaps wouldn't get the most powerful ally in the future, the ally with whose help you could win the war. I couldn't possibly leave you without every possible help to win the war." She paused and looked at him with sad eyes: "Winning the war is the most important thing. I am not."

But John had an answer ready: "Maybe you're right Cameron. But I still want you to try to override this order. I want you to be able to decide for yourself, not because you have been ordered to. If the situation occurs, we'll find a solution. I just don't want you to be forced to do it." He looked at her somehow sadly. He knew that she was right. He knew that he would need any possible help. But he couldn't even imagine the war without her by his side. Maybe he would have to, but it should happen because they both would decide that it would be the best thing to do, not because Future John told her so.

Cameron understood what John wanted to say and also saw in his eyes that he knew that he might have to let her do it. But it was more than obvious that it would break his heart and that he would allow it only if there really was no other possibility. So she decided to try to fulfill his request and nodded to him. Then she concentrated on her programming structure, trying to find a way to circumvent or even erase the order.

John saw how life vanished from her eyes and knew that she was trying to find a way to fulfill his wish. She became unresponsive and he could only wait for her to finish what she started to. And yet he worried for her. He knew very well that it was dangerous to tamper with her programming and that it could lead to unwanted results. However, he was sure she could manage it and he smiled at her unmoving face, gently stroking her cheek: "I know you can do it Cam. I have faith in you."

After few seconds life returned into her eyes and she focused on him. He felt how his heart fluttered in anticipation and gazed into her eyes for an answer. Suddenly her lips curved upside and she smiled at him. She could saw anticipation and fear in his eyes and nodded: "I could erase that order John. I'm free to decide if I will surrender my chip or not."

John's face erupted in big smile and he hugged her fiercely: "Thank you Cam. I knew you could do it!" Then he pulled back a bit, kissed her deeply and after few seconds retreated: "Believe me, we will find a way to prevent you from having to surrender your chip. No matter what, we'll find a solution. Now I want you to promise me, you will never … NEVER … surrender your chip without me." He gazed into her eyes, request clearly written all over his face.

Cameron smiled: "Promise!" After his face lightened again, she gave him a kiss and then pulled back with slightly worried face: "John?"

"Yeah, Cam?"

"While I was trying to delete this order, I remembered something else about my past." She looked insecure and perhaps even frightened a little and it didn't escape John's eye.

"Whatever it is, you can tell me Cameron." He smiled gently to her to encourage her.

"Now I know why Derek hates me so much." She began with barely audible voice and because she looked down, she didn't see the flash of surprise on John's face. "I was the one to interrogate him before I came to your camp in the future. After I killed Allison, a group of resistance fighters was captured and Derek was their CO. I interrogated them to find out how to get to you … future you." She finally lifted her head again and looked into John's eyes with insecurity. She was afraid of John's reaction, but she couldn't lie to him anymore. She learned in the past that lying to the one who meant the most to you, only resulted in bad consequences.

John sensed that it was difficult for her to talk about this and grabbed her hands and squeezed them reassuringly while nodding to her to continue.

Cameron smiled a bit strained and continued: "He told me everything. After I finished his interrogation the other machines terminated everyone except Derek. I don't know why I ordered them not to touch him. But I did. I left him an axe and put him on longer chain so that he could free himself. I also ordered that he is not to be harmed while he was searching for the base." She stopped and looked into his eyes pleadingly.

John smiled at her: "Cameron, you may not have known then but I'm sure you know now why you spared his life."

Cameron nodded: "I think I do. I was probably evolving already and I found it unnecessary to terminate him. Not unmoral, unnecessary."

John's smile widened: "You see, Cameron, that's what makes you unique. Even in that early stage of your development you already made decisions that are unthinkable for a mere terminator. That's why you're much more than just a machine."

"Aren't you mad at me, John? I did allow everyone else to be terminated." Cameron's face expressed fear, sadness and hope while she looked into his eyes, awaiting an answer.

John hugged her: "How could I be mad at you, Cameron? I knew already that you did horrible things. But that wasn't you, that was some other Cameron, Cameron who was made to kill me. But you fought your way out of the programming, you found a way to free yourself, you found a way to love me. How could I be mad at someone who fought so fiercely to become a better person? I couldn't, Cam! " He paused to brush a stray strand of her hair behind her ear and noticed how she smiled at his touch. "Would you do the same now? After you've experienced so much, would you order a human to be killed without presenting any danger?"

Cameron gave him a look as it would be the most obvious thing: "Absolutely not!"

"Then you know the answer to your fears already." John smiled at her gently. "You understand much more of the human nature than you give yourself credit for. That's one of the main reasons I fell in love with you."

Relief was clearly reflected in Cameron's eyes as she bowed to him, gave him a kiss on his cheek and put her head on his shoulder: "Thank you John. Thank you for trusting me."

Suddenly John's expression turned into serious one: "Cameron, you have to know that I understand that you've probably done bad things before you developed into what you are now. I know that you haven't always been like you're now. I know that you're not a human being. I know that there are probably things in your past I don't even want to know about." He paused to see a slight confusion and perhaps even fear written in Cameron's so expressive eyes. "But you have to know something else too. I know that all and I accept you for who and what you are. I love you and that won't change. I don't mind that you're a machine. I love you just the way you are. The past is past and I won't resent you for your deeds in the past. You're not the only one, carrying the darkness inside. I do too." He leaned towards her and whispered: "I love you … all of you, Cameron Phillips." Then he kissed her with all his passion.

After they finally let go of each other, John asked: "So, how was the shopping trip? Did you find something nice?"

Cameron grinned at him, the anguish of past few minutes already forgotten: "Yes, I did. I bought something for you too, like I said I would."

John rose from the bed and pulled her up too. "Why don't you show me what you bought? I'd like to see you in your bathing suit." He winked to her and it only made Cameron grin wider.

"Sure." She went to pick up the bag, which she dropped before, rummaged through its contents and pulled out blue trunks and threw them on the bed: "This is for you." Then she pulled out another piece of clothing, also in royal blue, and went to the bathroom: "I'll try this on." She smiled at him mischievously and vanished behind the door.

John smiled and inspected the trunks, she chose for him. After careful scrutinizing the piece of cloth, he nodded to himself. _She really has good taste. I like her choice. I wonder what she chose for herself._

After a short time, the door to the bathroom opened again and Cameron strolled out of the room self assure, clad only in the tiniest bikini he ever saw. His breath caught in his throat and his eyes widened at the vision of his girlfriend.

Cameron came to stop in front of him and looked at him mischievously. She noticed the impact her appearance had on him and tilted her head: "Well John? Do you like it?"

John cursed himself for being so tongue tight and nodded. After a second, he managed to get his voice under control: "You're looking fabulous Cam. I guess you'll be in the center of attention in the wellness. Maybe I'll even have to protect you?" He smirked at her and looked into her eyes, shining like stars on the sky.

"Thank you John. I chose you trunks in same color. So that everyone will know that we belong together." She laid her forearms on his shoulders and clasped her hands behind his neck, but took good care not to press her body to his. She wanted to tease him a bit.

John accepted the game and put his hands on the sides of her waist: "That we do, Cameron. I like your choice. I like it very much."

They stayed unmoving for few seconds, just looking into each other's eyes, but then Cameron decided that she should get dressed. "I think it wouldn't be exactly appropriate if I'd go out dressed only in bikini, right?" She grinned at John.

"Oh, I definitely wouldn't mind." John grinned back. "But I don't want other guys to see you like this … outside the wellness."

"Selfish!" Cameron lightly slapped his hand while she wriggled out of his embrace and turned towards the closet.

"Evil!" Answered John smiling broadly.

Cameron opened the closet and suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. Then she turned to John with creased forehead. "John?"

John was still smiling at her, but her sudden change of mood wiped the broad smile from his face: "Yes, Cameron?"

"Did you go out while I was shopping?" Her voice was demanding and her eyes looked at him questioningly.

_Oh dear! I should have known she'd notice that my clothes are folded differently than they were before. Stupid John!_ He frantically searched for a way out of her scrutinizing look without revealing the whole truth. So he decided that partial truth would be the best solution.

He quickly admonished himself for being unprepared and answered with a smile: "Yeah, I did. After you left, I went to talk to Derek. You know … the man to man talk, I mentioned before." _I hope that she won't insist on anything more. I think I did it quite convincingly. _He smiled at her and tried to maintain a natural smile.

Cameron gazed at him suspiciously. She could tell that he was telling her the truth, but she also got a feeling that this was not the whole truth. His behavior was a little off. Someone else wouldn't notice it, but she knew him all too good to fall to his deceiving maneuvers. She kept gazing at him for few seconds to see if he'd begin to squirm, but he just smiled at her broadly and didn't show any signs of caving in. So she decided that his explanation was, at least for the time being, satisfactory. But she would find out what he hid from her. One way or another, she would find out. So her gaze softened: "OK John, if you say so." She turned back to the closet, letting him know that he didn't deceive her.

He could see it on her face that she knew he was hiding something but didn't want to force him into telling her yet and sighed inwardly relieved. _She knows me way too good. I believe that I couldn't deceive her even if my life depended on it. But I'm sure I'll be forgiven._ He maintained his smile: "Yes, that's the truth Cam. We talked about you…"

Now, THAT got her attention. Her head snapped around to look at him: "What? About me? Why?"

He smiled. She's _really sweet when she's so inquisitive._ "Yeah, about you. We agreed that he'll back off and leave us be. He's not that bad, you know."

Cameron looked at him incredulously. "He agreed to back off? After everything I've done to him?"

"Yes, he did. He begins to understand that you're not just another terminator. He saw your behavior these days and you confused the hell out of him. You're probably the first machine he admits to be different. And that's big deal for Derek Reese."

"I'm not sure why would I confuse him at all. He never showed anything but hatred towards me." Cameron still couldn't understand that Derek would be ready to see her as a person.

"Well, dear, allow yourself be surprised." John finally stood up and strolled to her. "Everyone changes. Just look at yourself. You changed from a soulless terminator into a vibrant, compassionate girl in love. I changed from capital pain in the ass into a normal guy, just by admitting that I fell in love with you. My mom changed from open hatred towards you into someone who even hugs you. So … why would it be so impossible for Derek to change?"

Cameron thought about changes that John just pictured and looked into his eyes with small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth: "I guess you're right John." Then she stepped to him, craned her neck to kiss him on his cheek and breathed into his ear: "Thank you for explaining."

John grinned at her: "Am I really explaining things to you again or are you just pulling my leg?"

Cameron pouted at him: "I'm not pulling your leg. If I did, I'd probably tear it away."

"That was so not funny Cameron!" John complained not exactly serious but with distasteful expression.

Cameron looked at him slightly ashamed: "Was it not? I'll probably have to work on my sense of humor, I guess."

John laughed and took her face in his hands: "Yes you'll have to, Cam. Not every joke is always appropriate. But I love you nonetheless."

Cameron smiled relieved: "And I love you." She paused: "And yes, you are explaining things to me again. I'm not pulling your leg."

"Good! I wouldn't want to lose it!" John laughed and let her go to finally find something to wear.

TBC


	24. Confessing Mistakes

_This chapter is much shorter than the ones before. Maybe it could even be regarded as a sort of interlude, just few insignificant things happening before we go on with the spa experience. However, some of the issues, addressed in this chapter are IMO necessary to build a foundation for the future chapters._

_Next chapter should be of a 'normal' length. What is going to happen in the spa … ?_

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**Chapter 24 – Confessing Mistakes**

All the way from hotel lobby to her room Sarah kept on smiling in memory how she managed to irritate Cameron with just one question. It honestly wasn't her intention to do it, but as the occasion arose, she couldn't help but grab it. _One to zero for Sarah Connor!_ However, even while she enjoyed that she succeeded to irritate the cyborg girl, she realized that she didn't enjoy it because she would want to humiliate or otherwise beat Cameron. She enjoyed it like she'd enjoy making innocent fun of someone, belonging to her family. At the thought she shook her head in disbelief over her own feelings. _How did tin miss manage to creep into my mind so quickly? How could I have turned into my almost exact opposite in only a day or two? Yesterday I wanted to separate her from John and today … _Well, to be honest; she still hated the thought of her son being involved with a cyborg and she still couldn't accept it. But she began to look at Cameron with different eyes. She saw a trace of what John obviously saw in her and it made her uneasy. Sarah Connor, the ultimate warrior in the war against the machines, was beginning to accept a machine as a person. She sighed again and noticed that she already arrived to her destination.

After entering the room, she noticed Derek, sitting in a chair seemingly lost in his thoughts. His eyes stared unfocused into nothing in particular and he didn't acknowledge her arrival at all.

"Derek?" She asked after he failed to look at her.

Derek shook his head slightly and his eyes began to focus. After a second, he finally turned to look at her: "Sarah. I didn't notice that you're back." Suddenly he looked terrified: "Damn! What if you were a machine? I'd be history by now."

Sarah smiled at him: "I guess you're right. However … it's not a big deal, since I'm not a machine. But I see that there's something bothering you. Mind telling me what?"

Derek was now definitely fully awake and concentrated: "I had a little talk with John."

"Really? And what did you two guys talk about? Women? Sex? Booze?" Sarah couldn't help but smirk a little at him.

"Oh, nothing like that. Well … perhaps there were some words about the females." Derek accepted the playful tone and answered with a small grin.

"Now … let me guess … you were talking about Cameron. Right?" Sarah stepped to Derek and set down on the same seat in which John sat before.

"Yeah, you're right." Derek chuckled humorlessly. He looked Sarah straight in the eye. "He told me some things that I still haven't digested fully."

"What things? That we should accept Cameron? That he's not going to let go of her? That we made a mistake?" Sarah returned his humorless chuckle.

Derek slowly nodded: "Yes, something like that." He paused, looked Sarah in the eyes and continued: "Sarah, would you say that it was a mistake … what we tried to do … separating them?"

Sarah's eyes went out of focus and for a moment she stared into nothingness. Then she slowly lifted her head and looked into Derek's questioning eyes: "Yes, I think that it was a mistake, Derek. I had my doubts from the very beginning, but now I'm definitely sure." She sighed and as she saw that Derek opened his mouth to answer, continued: "However, that doesn't mean I'm OK with them being together. But I won't try anything to separate them. It's John's decision and … frankly … I'm also starting to look at Cameron with different eyes. In the last few days she changed so thoroughly that I can't even believe that it's the same tin miss that hunted me through L.A. a while ago." She waited to see if Derek would explode, but was surprised to see that he just nodded absentmindedly. She smiled slightly at him: "What? No objection? No preaching about killer machines from the future? Nothing at all? What happened to you, Derek?"

"John happened to me. And seeing Cameron since we arrived here." He finally looked into her eyes again: "I saw how she behaved today and I couldn't find a trace of a machine in her. I don't know: either she's so good at infiltrating or she's really not acting."

Sarah smiled: "I believe that it's simply her. I don't believe that any programming could be so sophisticated like she behaves the last few days."

Derek shook his head unbelievingly: "I can't believe that I'm saying such things about a terminator. Maybe I'm getting too soft."

Sarah laughed: "I don't think that you'd be getting soft. Perhaps you only learned how to face the facts and accept the truth. Just like me."

Derek seemed, if it was possible at all, even more lost in his thoughts as he nodded barely visible: "Maybe you're right, Sarah. Maybe you're right."

"So, how did the shopping go?" Tim's eyes peered over the top of the book, he held in his hands while lying lazily on the bad." While Andrea was out with Cameron and Sarah, he had absolutely nothing to do, so he rummaged through the books, Andrea brought with her. Not that he'd be a reader at all. It was probably the first book in last five years he took in his hands with more serious intention than to place it somewhere else.

Andrea's eyes widened uncontrollably as she saw her brother reading the book. "Tim? Is something wrong with you? I haven't seen you with the book since we were little kids."

Tim closed the book and put it aside, relieved that he had something better to do now than to read a boring book. He grinned at his sister: "Well, there was absolutely nothing worth watching on TV; I had no wish to go out and so I had to do something to survive until your return. By the way … are you really reading such literature or are you just fooling everyone?" He pointed at the book with his thumb.

"Of course I'm really reading it!" Andrea's voice revealed her irritation over her brother's insinuations.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it so harshly." Tim grinned apologetically.

"Well, my dear brother, then you should finally learn how to control your long tongue. I know that you have no bad intentions, but your words are sometimes, no, most of the time, far more insulting than your intentions." Andrea pouted a little. Then she strode towards the small table and sat on the chair in front of it. "As for shopping: well, it went OK. Cameron bought nice trunks for John and a bikini for herself that'll cause major disturbances in the spa." She grinned at the memory of a shopping trip.

Tim smiled: "Does she really look that good?"

"Better!" Shot Andrea without even considering her answer. Then she felt silent for a second and gazed into wall. After a while, she turned towards Tim again: "I can't help but to think that there's something strange about her. Sometimes she's a sweet girl from neighborhood, but in the next moment she acts like … like …"

"Like a robot?" helped Tim and Andrea just nodded. "Yeah, I've got the same impression. She's really sweet and nice and all that, but I believe that she's much more than just a simple girl. I've got impression that she extremely intelligent but, don't get me wrong, sometimes she acts like she wouldn't have a clue as what a human society is."

Andrea nodded again: "Exactly my point. But…" She shook her head resolutely and smiled at Tim, "I like her very much. You should have seen how she irritated Sarah while shopping." She giggled as she remembered the interaction of those two. "I perfectly understand why John's fallen for her so completely. I can only wish to someday find someone who'll love me so completely like John loves her."

Tim smiled a little sour: "Me too." Then his face brightened: "So, when are we to meet them for our visit to spa?"

"Few minutes before six. We should be on time." Andrea explained and continued: "Well, I must say that meeting John and Cameron was the best thing that happened during this vacation. At least we're not alone anymore like before."

"Exactly. They're quite nice although sometimes creepy. If I remember John's reaction as he found out that Cameron's been missing…" Tim grinned and shook his head.

"John! We have to go! I don't want to be late. Your mother pointed out specifically that she trusts me to be on time." Cameron's voice was soft, but a slight note of annoyance could clearly be heard. She stood in front of bathroom door and sighed impatiently. John has been in there for the last 15 minutes and she was getting anxious to go down to the lobby to meet the others. "We've got four minutes and …" She hesitated for a second: "Four minutes to meet the others."

"I'm coming, Cameron. See?" The door opened and John grinned at Cameron.

Cameron looked him up and down and a slight smile appeared on her lips: "Are you deliberately dressed like me?" She wore black pants, a yellow tank top with a black shirt over the top. As usually, she put on her favorite combat boots. And John was dressed in almost the same manner; just the nuances of the colors were different than hers.

John grinned, pulled her close to him and kissed her on the lips: "Yes, Cameron, deliberately. I thought that everyone should know that we belong together … not only in the wellness."

For a second Cameron allowed herself to get lost in her sensations, but after John pulled away, she smiled at him: "We should get going, John, we have only about three minutes left."

"So what if we are a little late? It's not the end of the world." John protested not quite seriously.

"Exactly! The Judgment's day isn't due for another …" Cameron recited in a monotone but was cut off by John's impatient sigh.

"Cam! It's only an expression. You don't have to be so literal about it."

"I know it John." Cameron smiled at him mischievously. "I'm just pulling your leg." Her smile widened and she stretched to give him a kiss on the cheek.

"Why, you …" John smiled back at her. "You're getting far too good at this."

"At what John?" Cameron wasn't prepared to end the game just yet.

"At making fool of me." John grinned.

"Am I? I can remember that you told me less than an hour ago that I'd have to work on my sense of humor." Cameron tilted her head and looked into his eyes curiously. Then she frowned: "Are you mad at me for making a joke on your expense?"

"Absolutely not, Cameron! If you want to make a joke, just do it." John smiled at her reassuringly and hugged her tight.

"I'm glad that I haven't done anything wrong." Cameron smiled while gently stroking the back of his head. Then she leaned back in his arms and looked into his eyes: "But now we really should get going."

"Sure. Just let me take our bag." John released her from his embrace and stepped to the bed, where he grabbed the bag with their baggage for the wellness. "So, now, we are ready to go. Lead the way, honey!"

TBC


	25. You Know I Can't Swim

_Wow, 23 reviews for the last chapter! You guys are the best! Thank you all so much!._

_I have to apologize for the delay. I wasn't able to write a single line last week (short vacation, hectic in job etc.) therefore no chapter for two weeks. Not to mention that I wasn't the only one on vacation. My muse took a leave too. Luckily it was a short one … just like mine._

_This chapter again grew much longer than I initially anticipated and planned, so the visit to spa will have to be split into two chapters. This is the first and the next is in preparation. However, I can't promise it for the next week. Sorry._

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**Chapter 25 – You Know I Can't Swim**

"Are you now finally ready, Cameron?" Sarah's voice was definitely irritated and that was also how she felt at the moment. _Damn! It's like the shopping trip all over again!_ She sighed and looked at Andrea, who was patiently waiting, using the time to thoroughly study her appearance in the large mirror wall and paid no attention to Sarah.

"Yes I am, Sarah." Cameron emerged from the dressing cubicle, clad in her new bikini and carrying her other clothes over her arm. She tilted her head slightly and gazed at Sarah curiously: "I've only been in there for four minutes and twenty …"

"Yeah, I know. Too long!" Interrupted Sarah and flickered her eyes towards Andrea, who just turned from the mirror to look at them.

Cameron understood immediately that Sarah wanted to warn her not to be so specific with time in order not to gain too much attention from Andrea. She looked down: "I don't think it was too long. I had to put the bikini on properly. You wouldn't want me to show more than necessary, would you?" She glanced at Sarah challenging.

Sarah gasped slightly but restrained herself from answering poisonously. _Is she really challenging me? Is this machine really trying to be smartass? _She shook her head: "We should get going and find the guys. I don't trust them in there alone."

Andrea grinned: "I think we should make a little of a show with our appearance. The way you two look in the bathing suits …" She looked Sarah and Cameron slowly up and down. Then she smiled at Cameron: "I believe that John will melt when he sees you. So … what do you think? Should we enter like beauty queens?"

Sarah sighed. _Now even Andrea produces stupid ideas!_ But then she thought for a second. _Would it really be so bad if I show my feminine side for a change? Would it harm me? Most definitely not._ She nodded reluctantly: "Maybe you're right. We should show the guys that we are women. What do you think Cameron?"

Cameron stared at Sarah with slightly widened eyes. _Is Sarah really asking me for my opinion?_ She was definitely not used to being asked for her opinion by Sarah. On the other side, Andrea's suggestion triggered positive response in her. She suddenly imagined John's reaction upon seeing her using her female features like a real woman. So she smiled slightly: "I think it's a good idea."

"Done!" Andrea didn't let Sarah get second thoughts and she launched into explanation how they should behave, walk, look …

XXXXXXXXXX

While women were preparing themselves for the entrance, John, Derek and Tim were already in the main hall, trying to find suitable places for them and their female companions. There were not too many visitors and they quickly found a suitable position, overlooking the entire hall. _Cameron will definitely like this position. She'll be able to oversee everything that's going on in here._ John grinned in his thoughts as he saw the position they chose.

"I have to go to the restroom. You two hold the position here." Derek announced to them and vanished almost immediately.

"Couldn't he have gone there before?" John murmured more to himself than to Tim, but he heard him nevertheless.

"Well, if you have to go, you have to go. Maybe he's a little older and has some problems with his bladder?" Tim remarked slyly with eyebrows, lifted to the middle of his forehead. A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

John snorted quietly. He couldn't help but be amused over Tim's remark. "I don't think that he's _that_ old. Sure, older than us, but still …" He smiled and looked at Tim, just to see how his mouth curved into a wide smile. "But you're probably right. Especially after he had too many beers yesterday." He threw the two towels over two pool loungers he chose for Cameron and himself. They were positioned at the edge of the group. "I suggest that you put your towels beside ours. Let Derek and mom be on the other side." He looked at Tim slyly: "Besides, it seems that you're both getting quite good along with my mom and Derek." The allusion to what happened the day before couldn't be overheard.

Tim sighed more theatrically than necessary and looked John straight in the eye: "I don't think that our present relationship could be described as 'good'. I would rather go for 'tense'."

John immediately regretted his remark: "Sorry. I didn't mean it like it came out. I'm well aware of your present feelings towards my mom and especially towards Derek."

"No problem, John. I'd probably be much angrier if it would have been me instead of you. You are much more relaxed than I could have expected. After all, I think that what we did only helped you two to grow closer, right?"

John smiled happily. He felt warmth spreading inside him as he thought about Cameron and how they finally managed to cross the boundary, he himself built between them. He nodded slightly: "You're probably right, Tim. If it weren't for you two we'd probably still be dancing around each other and trying desperately not to give in to our feelings. So I guess that after all I even owe you a 'thank you' for helping us finding a way to each other." He grinned: "If this isn't ironic … I have to thank someone who just a while ago tried to steal me my Cameron."

"Oh, so now she's already 'my Cameron'? My, my, how rapidly are things progressing nowadays." Tim laughed but got serious instantly. "John, may I ask you a question?"

"Sure, shoot!" John still grinned.

"We've just discussed it with Andrea. Why is Cameron sometimes behaving so odd? Please, don't take it the wrong way … she's sweet and nice and all, but sometimes she goes like 'I'm not a girl you see', just like she'd be someone else." Tim wasn't sure if John would accept his explanation or if he'd get mad at him.

John felt how his heart suddenly began to beat twice as fast as before. _Do they suspect something? Are they that observant? Is Cameron really failing to convince them?_ These and other thoughts chased his mind and he suddenly felt a bit cornered. _Now you have to find some believable explanation Johnny boy! _He forced himself to smile at Tim relaxed. "Why would you think she behaves odd?"

Tim was relieved that John obviously didn't resent him for his question and shrugged: "Sometimes she acts so cold, detached and uninterested like she'd be a robot." He looked into John's eyes still concerned.

_Ouch! That's too close! Future leader of the mankind, your intelligence is now required! Think of something and think of it fast!_ John hid his shock upon hearing Tim's words perfectly and even forced a genuine looking, although slightly sad smile: "She was involved in a car crash before we took her in and she was heavily injured. Since then she sometimes acts completely detached. The doctors couldn't find a physical cause and said that it's probably still the trauma and shock. They even believe that it could be permanent. But … I love her even more because of that. She's had it really rough before she came to us." John was feeling proud of himself to lie to Tim so convincingly. _Heck, if I wouldn't know it better I'd even believe it myself!_

Tim nodded absentmindedly. "Yeah, I guess it could be the reason. Derek told me that she had some bad experiences in the past and that she sometimes gets almost paranoid." Then he looked into John's eyes again: "Are you really not mad at me for asking this question?"

John could see that Tim obviously accepted his explanation without reservations and smiled: "Of course not! I understand that it's difficult for someone who just met her to understand her. She can be a little creepy sometimes. But … she's my Cameron and I wouldn't want her to change. It's what she is." He couldn't understand himself that he opened up so quickly to this guy whom he just met and almost poured his heart out to him. _John, you should be more careful with your words!_ He had to remind himself to be more reserved, but on the other hand, he knew that everything he told Tim was just protecting Cameron's and his true nature and identity. So it couldn't be that bad!

Now Tim's face finally lit up: "Thanks, John! I appreciate your reaction. After all that happened, I really wouldn't want to make you mad."

"No problem, Tim. It's better to know the facts than to speculate wildly and possibly reach completely wrong conclusions." John tried to even strengthen his explanation and avoid the danger to get busted.

"What are you guys talking about?" Derek's voice came from behind and as John and Tim turned around, he grinned at them.

"Nothing specific, just making conversation." John answered and in the same time it hit him that it was Cameron's line. He grinned at himself, earned himself a suspicious look from his uncle and shrugged nonchalantly.

In next moment Tim's jaw almost hit the ground. He was looking towards the entrance area and in this moment the girls and Sarah entered the pool area. John saw Tim's expression and quickly turned to see what caused his reaction. After he noticed the sight, his jaw joined Tim's in the low heights above the floor. After seeing the boys' reaction, Derek turned to look at the cause of their shock and almost instantly completed the trio of dropped jaws. _If Skynet would see us now … It'd probably die of laughter that the great John Connor looks like a little boy and drools over its greatest creation._ This was the only coherent thought that John was able to produce in the moment. He didn't even notice that they were not the only ones, taken aback by the sight. The majority of male visitors joined their stare and the majority of female visitors looked irritated and angry at their companions. The rest of them looked enviously at the trio of approaching embodied perfection in form of three female representatives of human species. Well, two humans and one cybernetic organism to be exact!

XXXXXXXXXX

After they entered the pool area, Cameron instantly noticed their three companions and whispered into Sarah's ear: "They're over there at the artificial palm tree." Sarah looked in the direction and nodded: "OK girls, now behave like we were the queens of the universe! Don't forget to act unattainable!" They raised their heads and walked side by side in a pronounced feminine way, swaying their hips just the right way, just the right measure to cause the looks of the visitors to remain glued to them.

Cameron felt a little insecure for the first few steps. This was definitely not something she was built to do. True, as infiltrator, she had rudimentary knowledge of the art of seducing but she still felt strange. But after few seconds she noticed the reaction of their companions and concentrated on John. She saw his wide opened eyes and open mouth and gently nudged Sarah: "Sarah? Why are they looking like they'd just escaped from the mental institution?" She was confused and looked at Sarah for explanation.

Sarah grinned at her and whispered back: "I guess they didn't exactly know that we are not just fighters but also women. And as for you …" Her eyes scanned the young cyborg and she nodded at her slightly, "… I think that Derek never saw someone like you before." She carefully avoided mentioning Cameron's true nature.

"Oh! Thank you for …" Cameron tried to answer.

"For heaven's sake, spare that phrase for John!" Sarah cut her off. _I can't understand that John finds her constant repeating of that phrase so cute!_

The little show extended for a little longer, for the three graces deliberately walked slowly to give their men time to linger on their appearance. Cameron concentrated exclusively on John and smiled seductively at him with slightly tilted head.

_She's doing it on purpose! She's trying to get me a heart attack!_ John tried to close his mouth but failed miserably. He didn't even notice that there were also Andrea and his mother at Cameron's sides. He also didn't see how Tim's eyes literally devoured Cameron's appearance. He didn't see Derek's eyes glued to Sarah's curvature either. The only thing that he could see at the moment was this perfect creature approaching him, perfect creature named Cameron, whom he loved with all of his heart. He could see her slight smile and her shining eyes but in the next moment his eyes scanned her body again.

The visitors of the spa finally managed to tear their eyes from this show. But not all of them. Here and there an angry female voice could be heard how it barked at their obviously still entranced male partners. Gradually these voices silenced too. But if someone would take a good look around the pool, they'd see many pouting and irritably looking women and many foolishly grinning men.

After the runway stroll ended, Cameron stopped inches from John and looked at him. His chin still hung low so she gently cupped it and shut it. After her help, John finally managed to gulp and in the next moment his jaw fell again. Cameron sighed, shook her head and pushed his jaw closed again. "John! It's not polite to stand with your mouth open."

Finally John got his muscles under control again and clamped his mouth shut. Without a single word he grabbed Cameron's hand, sat down on the pool lounger and pulled her onto his lap. She let herself be guided by him and carefully sat on his lap, making sure that she spread her weight evenly. John was still staring at her and she was becoming slightly confused. "John? Why don't you say anything? Do I look like a freak?"

John shook his head and regained control of his speech: "No, Cam! Absolutely not! You look … you look fantastic, amazing, beautiful …" His voice trailed off.

Reassured that he was only so impressed by her appearance, Cameron smiled at him: "So … do you like my bikini?"

"'Like' doesn't start to describe what I think of you right now." John's eyes finally reduced to their normal size and his lips began to smile at her. He suddenly decided and gave her a kiss on her lips, causing her eyes to wide uncontrollably.

"John! We're not alone! What will Sarah and Derek think?" She whispered after his lips left hers and a little trace of fear could be heard in her voice.

"To be honest … I don't care!" John answered defiantly. "I've had enough of these games, of hiding, of denying my emotions. It's time that they finally face the truth."

Cameron smiled at the steadiness and yet controlled way how John stood up for their relationship. She knew that Sarah and Derek would have problems digesting what they just witnessed, but she even more admired how John in this moment resembled the future John. Like him, also her John was definitely not backing down any more. He decided that he'd take their relationship out in the open and nothing on this world would make him take a step back. She bowed to him and gave him a gentle kiss: "Thank you, John."

Meanwhile Tim's eyes still followed Cameron and he suddenly felt a light slap on his forearm. "You should control your eyes better, brother dear! It's definitely not polite to stare at the couple kissing." He managed to tear his look from Cameron and looked at Andrea, who grinned at him like a Cheshire cat.

"I guess you're right, sis'. But I can't help. Cameron looks so amazing…" His voice died and glassy look in his eyes receded and he grinned at his sister. "Too bad they're in relationship."

Andrea slapped him again in mock anger: "Tim! We already had this discussion. You know very well that it was just wishful thinking on your side."

Tim rolled his eyes in exasperation: "Like I wouldn't know it! But a man can have a dream, right?"

"And who am I to steal your dreams away. Keep on fantasizing if you have to." Andrea mirrored his expression. "But you should return to reality and find a nice girl, girl who isn't Cameron."

"Oh, I think that there will be enough time today and in here to meet someone, even if it's only for a company during our stay here." Tim smiled at her and she returned his smile and nodded.

Sarah gazed at Derek, who still couldn't stop looking at her. "What's wrong with you, Derek? Haven't you seen a woman before?" She challenged him and smirked.

Derek shook his head: "I have. But I didn't know that you … you … "He stopped and looked helplessly into her eyes.

"What? You didn't know that I'm a woman too? Did you think that I'm something between woman and man?" Sarah decided to tease him a little bit longer. She wanted him to tell her what he thought and challenging him was probably the best way to achieve her goal.

"No! I know that you're a woman, gee, Sarah!" He rolled his eyes and sighed impatiently. "I just didn't expect that you look so … so …" He lost his courage and voice again.

"Yes? So …?" Sarah tilted her head and grinned at him. _Will you finally say it or not?_

Derek suddenly realized that she was teasing him and sighed again. _There's obviously no way out of this. Great job, Reese! You've got yourself in the shit and now you have to find a way out without losing too much of your pride._ "I think that you're beautiful, Sarah." He gulped and decided to turn the spear: "At least for someone who already gave birth and is not in her teens anymore."

Sarah saw Derek's grinning face and understood that he was just teasing her. _Well, Derek Reese, two can play this game!_ "So, you think I'm old?"

Derek's face suddenly turned crimson and he answered hastily: "No! Absolutely not! I just meant that you …"

"OK, Derek. I understand what you wanted to say." Sarah decided to get him off the hook and grinned at him. "But don't you ever think of calling me old. By the way, thank you for the compliment."

Derek sighed relieved that he was off the hook and answered with a small grin: "Any time, Sarah." Then he suddenly saw Cameron sitting on John's lap. They were kissing and practically devouring each other with bodies almost melted together. His face suddenly got a sour expression.

Sarah saw the change of his expression and turned to look at her son and his protector. As she saw them, she understood Derek's reaction and her face suddenly turned a bit sour too. She barked: "John! Cameron! We're in public place. Behave yourselves!" She enjoyed it limitless as she saw how they jumped apart like they'd been bitten by a snake upon hearing her command.

However, their shock lasted only for a second and in the next moment John pulled Cameron back and smirked at his mother: "Mom, we know that we're in public place. That's why we're being so discreet."

Sarah rolled her eyes exasperatedly: "You call your behavior discreet? Well, then I'd like to know what's indiscreet for you. Don't you dare laughing at me John!" She snapped at him seeing how he began to giggle quietly upon hearing her lecture. "Look at Cameron! She at least has a decency to look embarrassed."

Cameron in fact looked a bit embarrassed, but upon hearing Sarah's words, her pride returned in full: "I'm not ashamed that we love each other and show it." She lifted her chin defiantly like a real teenage girl.

Sarah couldn't help but feel amused upon her reaction. _Tin miss is quickly learning how it is to be a teenage know-it-all girl. And John's even helping her at her growth. Now I'll have two of such kind!_ She decided not to get into discussion with Cameron at this point and she just grinned back. "OK, just watch your behavior. I don't want to get thrown out of the pool just because my kid would behave inappropriately."

Derek stifled a laugh. He got over the initial shock of seeing Cameron making it out with his nephew and her reaction to Sarah's words added another stone in the mosaic that was slowly beginning to form. A mosaic named "Cameron is different". He looked at Sarah: "Are we going to go swimming or is your intention to keep on talking. That's something you could easily have done in hotel."

Sarah turned to him: "I'm done with talking. I'm going for a swim and as for the rest of you …" her gaze swept over her company, "I don't give a damn what you're going to do. Just be here in two hours."

Tim and Andrea, who were witnessing the discussion in silence, nodded: "We'll go to the whirlpool. See you later then." After that, they turned and left them.

Derek looked at Sarah: "I'll go with you. I could use a little relaxation like swimming."

Sarah nodded and looked at John and Cameron. The latter was still comfortably sitting on John's lap and looked at her with interested eyes. "What about you two?" She turned her eyes to Cameron: "Can you swim at all?"

"You know I can't swim. I'm not buoyant and being in the water isn't my favorite activity." Answered Cameron a little dejected while looking down and John's hear broke a little upon hearing her words and seeing her disappointed face.

"I'll help you, Cam. You'll see that being in the water can be very nice." He gently stroked her cheek and earned himself a grateful smile.

Sarah rolled her eyes again: "You should stay in the room if you can't get your hands off each other for five minutes. Are you coming or not?" She directed her gaze to John.

John suddenly looked a little flushed but answered nonetheless with authoritative voice: "We'll go to the kid's pool soon. You two can go."

Sarah sensed that there was more to his excuse and looked at him sharply for a second. But he returned her gaze steadily and also his blush seemed to vanish, so that she wasn't even sure if she'd seen it or not. So she turned to Derek: "OK, let's go then."

After they left them, Cameron turned to curiously look into John's eyes: "Why didn't you want to go to the pool now John?"

John's blush returned in more intense way and he coughed embarrassed: "Well, Cam … you know … having you so scantily clad on my lap … so near …" He stopped for a second and looked into her eyes, revealing incomprehension. _Well, John, you'll simply have to say it! _"So, you see, it's the problem with man's physiology having such a gorgeous girl, whom you really love, in your lap. I just need a few seconds and then I'll be able to show myself in public again." _Please, Cam, you have to understand it! I can't tell it so directly. Please!_

Cameron looked at him questioningly, but after few seconds her face lit up like a megawatt bulb. She began to grin from ear to ear and shifted slightly on John's lap, eliciting a stifled moan from him. "You're having an erection!" She stated bluntly.

"Do you really have to be so literate, Cam?" John was now blushing furiously.

"Oh! Sorry! I'll try to remember it next time." Cameron grinned wickedly at him and continued shifting her butt slightly over John's problem zone.

"You're not helping me at least, Cam! Would you please stop doing what you're doing?" John pressed through clenched teeth.

"Does that mean that you desire me, John?" Cameron stopped her movements, but she still grinned wide and her hands suddenly cupped his cheeks.

"Understatement of the day! Of course, Cam! But we're in public place, you know?" John was gradually losing his facial color.

"I know. Sarah reminded us just few minutes ago." Cameron grinned and kissed him. "I'm glad that you desire me, John."

John cheeks finally returned to their normal color: "I'm glad too. Now, please … be still for a minute and no!" He stopped her from kissing him again. "As much as I want to kiss you, now I need to think of something else, something very cold. Like North Pole."

Cameron was at first taken aback by his refusal, but after his explanation she grinned again: "Of course John. May I suggest you think of Vostok station on Antarctica? There's much colder than on North Pole."

"Smartass!" John groaned but smiled back.

TBC


	26. I Think I Like It Here

_Here's the second part of the visit to spa. What's in spa besides pools? It's hot and healthy. Right! Sauna! Our two lovebirds have to experience everything that this institution offers. Well … almost everything._

_With this chapter our visit to wellness/spa is finished and new adventures await our heroes and their family/friends._

* * *

**Chapter 26 – I Think I Like It Here**

"So, John, can we go to the pool now?" Cameron's eyes inquisitively looked into John's green ones while her face shoved a small mischievous smirk. It's been more than five minutes since Sarah and Derek left them and after the first minute ticked off, John requested her to get off of his lap, stating as the reason that he'd never be able to get his hormones under control with her, seated on his lap. So she sat on her own lounger and looked at John expectantly.

John sighed relieved: "Yeah, Cam, we can go." He looked at her and saw her smirk. "It's entirely your fault that we had to wait here, you know." He complained not exactly seriously.

"I don't think so, John. We had to wait because you had some issues while I was ready to go all the time." Cameron deadpanned.

"Right! But you caused my so called issues." John wouldn't get himself beaten by his girlfriend. After a grin in her direction, he stood up and stretched his hand towards her: "Shall we?"

Cameron rose in a graceful fluidic motion and grabbed his hand smiling: "Are we really going to the kid's pool? Will they even let us get in there?"

"No, it was just an excuse to get mom and Derek out of the way." John smiled gently towards her. "We're going to the smaller, shallower pool so that you'll be able to stand."

"Oh! Better than pretending to be a baby." Cameron answered with satisfied tone.

"As if anyone would believe you to be a baby!" John chuckled and his eyes once again caressed Cameron's curvatures. "The hottest babe in the spa and a baby?" He shook his head resolutely. "Not a chance!"

"So you think I'm the hottest babe in here?" Cameron leaned towards him and briefly laid her head on his shoulder.

"Absolutely!" John was convinced that there was no one as beautiful as his girlfriend. Not just in here … in the world!

Cameron smiled at him thankfully and stretched to give him a gentle kiss on his cheek.

After they reached the smaller pool, which was much shallower than the one, Sarah and Derek went to, John noticed that the pool had a wide staircase on one side and he steered Cameron towards the wide stairs. He immediately stepped two steps down and turned towards Cameron: "Just take it slow, honey. One step at a time. Get acquainted with the feeling of being in the water first."

Cameron nodded a little stiffly. She had a strange feeling, looking at the water. She was convinced that she couldn't swim and being in the water really wasn't even near to qualify as one of her favorite activities. So she stepped down the first step hesitantly. She felt the water splashing around her ankles and wiggled her toes while looking down carefully. It was better than feeling the wind between them, like she did when she went to Mexico with John to get Cromartie's body. She looked up into John's eyes with a slight surprise in her face: "It's nice! I didn't expect it to be nice."

John smiled at her: "Hey, you are taking showers and you should know that water isn't your enemy. I even find it strange that you didn't know how it feels to be in the water before."

"I always shower most efficiently. I try to use very small amount of water. And I've never before stood in the water." Cameron explained while she looked at her wiggling toes again. She suddenly stepped down another and another step, so that the water now reached above her knees. It still felt pleasant and in the next moment she continued downstairs so that she was standing in the water, reaching above her waist, just under her breasts. She looked at John again: "I feel lighter in the water."

"Of course!" John smiled at her, noticing her shining eyes: "Your body displaces a certain amount of water and therefore you feel lighter in it than you are." _She obviously enjoys it. Too bad we haven't tried it before._ Before he could say anything more, Cameron let loose of his hand and began to slowly paddle through the water with both hands. Her face revealed her enjoyment and she smiled without really knowing what she was doing. It really felt good to be in the water.

John saw her smiling face and thought to himself that she looked heavenly beautiful in this moment. Breath suddenly caught in his throat and before he could say anything, Cameron lifted her face to look at him with a childlike glee: "Water has 31.5 degrees centigrade. It's warm. I like it!" She smiled wider and showed him her white teeth while still gently probing the resistance of the water against her movements with her hands.

Suddenly her eyes glinted with mischievousness and unexpectedly she splashed a considerable amount of water into John. She giggled at the sight of water, dripping from John's hair and astonished look on his face.

He was definitely surprised to see such behavior from Cameron. She almost never did such unexpected, playful things and his heart jumped as he saw her all too human behavior. She was grinning at him challenging and he couldn't help but grin back. "Just wait, my dear! You're so going to pay for it!" He threatened her with a smile, leaned forward while preparing to send a real tsunami in her direction.

Cameron noticed his intentions and squeaked in delight. She tried to turn around and run, but she miscalculated the necessary force to do it. So the inevitable happened and she slipped and fell face down into the water. Suddenly she was submerged and tried to paddle with her arms to get back to the surface but achieved just the opposite effect. She sank to the bottom of the pool. _Damn! If this is so-called swimming, then I'm dropping the subject right now. It's not tight!_

Before she could continue her thoughts, two arms grabbed her and lifted her out of the water. She spluttered the water and looked into John's slightly worried eyes. "Are you okay, Cam?" His voice was even more worried than his eyes.

After another spit of water, she combed her wet hair, hanging over her face, backwards and nodded: "I'm fine." After a small pause she continued: "But if this is swimming then I'm ready to forget it. I don't like it." She looked into John's eyes somehow accusingly.

John laughed softly at her: "No Cameron, this is not swimming. What you did is normally called drowning and after you almost drown you should be rescued by your prince charming. And you look simply adorable, just like a drowned poodle."

Cameron's good mood returned in an instant: "Oh, so you're my prince charming?" Then she grinned: "I can't look like a drowned poodle. I'm not a canine."

John nodded and his face closed in on hers "No, you're my Cameron".

"And how would you rescue me?" Cameron challenged him with satisfied smile upon her face.

"This is how." John kissed her on the lips.

After few moments in which they both lost themselves in emotions, their lips separated and Cameron asked: "Why would you think that you could rescue me this way?"

"Mouth to mouth respiration, honey." John grinned at her.

Suddenly Cameron understood and in a nanosecond she already forged a little plan. She smirked at him and let herself fall backwards with closed eyes. Weren't it for John's arms around her, she'd land in the water again. Even so, he had to strain himself to hold her dead weight. "Cam!" His worried voice caused her to grin evilly.

She opened one eye to peer at him: "I'm almost dead, John. You should revive me." She closed the eye again and went limp.

John instantly understood her game and grinned at her: "This is emergency case and extraordinary measures are required. John Connor to rescue!" In an instant he lifted her up so that he could crush his lips on hers. It took Cameron only a second to respond to his passion all too gladly and their tongues began to dance the eternal dance of love. Her arms embraced John and she eagerly pressed her body against his. Without really thinking she lifted her leg and encircled it around his waist. The passion grew by moments and she found herself almost lost in it.

Suddenly John broke the kiss and gently tried to extricate himself out of her iron grip. He saw confusion written all over her face and hurried to explain to her: "I'm sorry but this really isn't the best thing to do here in the pool in public. I'm beginning to have the same problems as before and we really wouldn't want to spoil any children in her, now would we?"

Cameron still looked at him in a mixture of anger, disappointment and confusion, but after his explanation her eyes flickered towards John's groin and she noticed that he was telling her the truth. So she looked back into his eyes and smiled: "Oh, that kind of problems again." She let him out of her embrace, but still held his hands. "Thank you for saving me John." She tilted her head and smiled at him wider.

John sighed relieved that she understood: "Now, we should really do what we are here to do – teach you how to swim."

Cameron suddenly looked worried and skeptical again: "Do you really think that you could teach me to swim?"

John nodded with conviction: "I most definitely do. Now, first you have to learn how to…"

XXXXXXXXXX

While Cameron and John finally got to the most important task of teaching Cameron how to swim, Derek and Sarah enjoyed themselves in the other section of the spa. Derek decided that he needed some training and was swimming the lengths of the big pool like a professional swimmer, without considering Sarah at all. She looked at him for a short while, but noticed that he was oblivious to her, so she shook her head with a sigh. She looked around and saw the whirlpool just nearby. Her eyes lit up and she smiled at the sight of an empty whirlpool. "That's something for me! Warm water, air bubbles and massages. Nice!" She strode to the whirlpool and entered it with a contempt sigh. The water was just below the point at which she'd call it hot and after she found a suitable position upon the raising air bubbles with a gentle massage jet stream caressing her back, she sighed again and closed her eyes.

She didn't even know how long she'd been in there, enjoying herself as she felt that someone entered the whirlpool. She opened her eyes to see Derek, who was just positioning himself next to her: "Enough of swimming? I thought you'd continue until tomorrow."

"He, he, very funny!" Derek wasn't thrilled but he smiled nevertheless: "I had to grab the opportunity. I've never been in the pool since my tenth year." He shrugged: "So I guess I have the right to exaggerate a bit."

Sarah smirk softened into compassionate smile: "Of course. I didn't mean it so harsh. It really must be nice to be able to enjoy such luxury again."

"Damn right, Sarah." Derek nodded and finally looked in her direction: "But it's not bad in here either. I might even get used to it."

Sarah suddenly asked: "Have you ever been in a whirlpool, Derek?"

For a second she thought he wouldn't even answer her, but then he shook his head: "No. Before the bombs fell I was too small and not interested in such things and after that …"

His voice trailed off and let her fill in the blanks. Sarah nodded in understanding: "Yeah, I can imagine that there were no such things in the future."

XXXXXXXXXX

Tim and Andrea were in the play area of the pool. With many interesting effects it was by far the most visited and crowded area. Soon after arriving there, Tim spotted a group of girls roughly his age and nudged Andrea: "Look over there. I just might get lucky today."

Andrea looked at the girls with slightly furrowed eyebrows and after a while her face relaxed: "You can certainly try." She smiled at him and turned around.

"Hey! Where are you going Andrea?" Tim thought that they'd both go to join the group, but after she obviously didn't want to go with him, he felt a little dejected.

"I'll find my own company. You're a big boy and will be all right." Andrea smirked at him. A few seconds before Tim saw the group, she noticed a young man at the edge of the pool, who was looking at her with clear interest and she decided to dump her brother for these two hours and find someone to keep her company while they were staying in the spa. And for such activities she definitely didn't need her brother around, as well as he didn't need her around for joining the girls he obviously decided to join.

Tim saw how her look turned towards a young man, who was still keeping eye contact with her and grinned: "Oh! I see what you mean." He bowed to her ear and whispered: "Just don't give that stallion any false hopes. We're due to go back home in three days."

Andrea looked at him in fake indignation: "Why would I give him any hopes at all. I just need some company." She smirked and nudged him with her elbow: "And that company most certainly isn't my brother."

Tim chuckled and nodded: "I'll see you then. Make it good little sis'."

Andrea chuckled too: "I will, I'm just worried for you, you clumsy oaf." She burst in giggles over her remark and turned away from Tim.

XXXXXXXXXX

Cameron was sitting at the edge of the pool with her feet gently splashing throgh the water and she smiled happily at John, who was sitting next to her. "Thank you John!"

"What for, Cam?" John turned to look at her with slight confusion written in his features.

"For showing me that water isn't my enemy." Cameron breathed and added: "And for teaching me to swim."

John just grinned broadly and bowed over to her to kiss her gently. "I told you I'd help you."

Indeed, in the last half an hour, Cameron managed to get over her uncomfortable feeling towards water and actually even learned how to float. To say that she now knew how to swim would be stretching the truth too far, but she actually managed to float in the water and she could not help but think that she was probably the first terminator to manage something like that.

Her train of thoughts was interrupted by John: "Cameron? Can you go to the sauna? They have quite a few saunas here and if you can, I'd like to go there … with you." He really didn't know if she could go in sauna.

Cameron had to retrieve the information about sauna and opened her mouth to star reciting what sauna meant, but realized before she launched into explanation that John simply asked her a question, not wanting to hear what the dictionary has to say about the topic. She contemplated if the heat up to 100 degrees centigrade would do any harm to her and came to the conclusion that she wouldn't be harmed in any way. So she looked at John's questioning eyes and nodded: "Sure, John, I can."

John's face broke in a contempt smile and he stood up, while offering her his hand: "Would you like to try it with me?"

"Of course, John." She answered sweetly while accepting his hand and getting up. She actually didn't need his help to get up, but found his gesture so cute that she had to smile at him.

After they reached the sauna area, John looked at the possibilities. The first one was the finish sauna with temperature of 110 degrees centigrade. "A little too hot for my taste." He murmured more to himself than to Cameron. But she heard him nevertheless and chimed in: "At this temperature you could experience slight problems with your cardiovascular system and I advise you not to go in there."

John grinned at her: "Well, I don't have any problems as of now, but thank you for your concern. I guess that the temperature of about 70 to 80 degrees would be more suitable. Let's find one." He tugged at her hand and continued towards the next door. "See? That's the right one."

Cameron looked at the plate beside the door: "What is aromatherapy, John?" She directed her inquisitive gaze towards John.

"I guess that they spice the air with some herbs which have positive influence to breathing organs." He so loved to explain things to her, especially after seeing the light in her eyes as she understood his explanation. _Will she say her magic words?_

Right on cue, she smiled at him: "Thank you for explaining." He couldn't help but smile at her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Then he remembered that he forgot to tell her some basic rules for entering the sauna.

"Cameron, there are some basic rules about using the sauna." He began and saw how her look turned into her naïve inquisitive one. "First: no bathing suits are allowed in there. You have to be naked; you can only have the sheet not to wet the bank and a towel to dry yourself after taking a shower." He blushed at these words and suddenly realized what he got himself into with his desire to go to sauna with Cameron. It was his own fault that he brought himself into a situation where his hormones could get a better of him again. _Gee, what a great idea, Connor! You had problems with her sitting in your lap in bikini. How are you going to manage seeing her naked? Huh?_

He swallowed with difficulty and noticed Cameron's mischievous look. She squeezed his hand: "Completely naked? Are you sure? Will that not be a problem for you, John?" She had no problems with being naked. Shame wasn't something that she would really understand and for her it was the same being naked or clothed. But she saw the impact of her body on John before and she tried to run a scenario how would he react to her completely nude body. And she liked the outcome of that scenario, so her smile widened and became even more impish.

John inhaled deeply to chase the images of naked Cameron from his mind and decided that this time he'd win over his body. He looked at her with determination: "I am sure, Cam. And it will _not_ be a problem for me." His eyes ran along Cameron's body: "Even though you look like a goddess."

Cameron's smile lost its impishness and she looked at him with bright eyes: "I'm a cyborg and not a goddess, John."

"Well … you are to me!" John nodded furiously. Then he went on with his explanation of the rules for sauna. After he was finished, he looked at Cameron, whose head was slightly tilted to the side and she was obviously listening to him carefully. He sighed, relieved that he obviously managed to explain everything to her. "We should go now to get our lockers, sheets and towels. I saw them at the entrance." He pulled her towards the locker rooms and entered the men's one, while Cameron went into women's department.

After a minute she emerged from the room, wrapped in the sheet she found in it and carrying the towel in her hand. John was already waiting for her and she could clearly see how his eyes glided along her form with admiration. She stretched her other arm towards him and he accepted it gladly and guided her towards the sauna, they found earlier. _Strange! I allow myself being guided by a human. Even with my superior strength I allow him to direct me._ But she knew that John was the only one allowed to guide her. She wouldn't allow it to anyone else. Definitely not!

After they reached the sauna, John first looked through the window in the door to see if there was anyone in and sighed satisfied: "No one is in there. We'll have it all for ourselves."

After they entered, Cameron immediately registered the high temperature: "It's 73.2 degrees centigrade in the height of my head in here." She informed John with a little frown. _Was this really something that humans enjoyed? Why do they complain then when it's hot?_ She filed the paradox for later exploration and evaluation and possibly John's explanation.

John breathed deeply: "Yeah, nice hot." He hesitated a bit, but decided that it was not the time to be shy. He unwrapped himself from the sheet and laid it on the bank, forcing himself not to think of Cameron's body next to his. "I think we should put our heads together."

Cameron noticed the narrow banks and after seeing that John already chose his position, allowing her to lay down so that her head would be together with John's, she unceremoniously unwrapped her own sheet and extended it like John did his. "I agree. It's better for you to look away from me." Her voice was definitely slightly wicked. John risked a look into her direction, gasped slightly as he saw that she was already completely nude and forced himself to look only in her shining eyes. _I'm lucky that it's dark in here. Otherwise she'd notice my red face._ "Why would it be better to look away? I can't get enough of your appearance at all." He tried to counter, but his voice was quivering slightly. Not enough to be noticed by humans, but enough or Cameron.

She smiled at him: "You know why John. But nevertheless, I'm glad that you want to see me." She then tilted her head and her smile widened: "Why are you blushing John?"

_Oh, damn! I forgot she can see in the dark!_ He shook his head: "You know why Cameron." Then he lay down and made himself comfortable. "In sauna, you're supposed to rest, Cam."

Cameron finally positioned herself facing away from John, but with their heads touching. She closed her eyes and sniffed quietly. She could smell different herbs and concluded that it was a pleasant aroma. It wouldn't have any positive influence on her breathing organs, for she had none, but she classified it as nice and she felt satisfied. She slowly even began to like the heat, the feeling of hot air on her skin. The paradox, she filed earlier has been resolved and she got her answer, without having to analyze it or ask John for clarification. She remembered how she experienced the water and felt almost the same feelings now. _Bathing and sauna are nice and pleasant activities. It would be desirable to repeat them more often._

After a little more than ten minutes, John rose from his position and sat on the bank. His body was covered with sweat, but he felt very good. Relaxed and content. He dared to look at Cameron as she elegantly rose to sitting position too and without really thinking, his look fell on her perfect breasts. In a second he felt the impact of them on him and regretted to let his eyes wander so far. He snapped his look to her face and noticed her smiling lips. But he also noticed something else, something that actually shocked him. Cameron was sweating!

Almost subconsciously his hand touched her forehead and wiped away few sweat drops, trickling down her face. "Cameron? Are you sweating?" He stuttered. "I didn't know that you can. I mean … I haven't seen a machine sweating before." He immediately regretted to have called her a machine and cupped her cheek: "Sorry, I really didn't mean it the way it came out." He could swear that he saw a slight look of hurt, flashing across her face, but it disappeared so quickly that he wasn't sure if he'd seen it or not.

Cameron did feel a little hurt, but she knew that he didn't mean it like it came out and she leaned into his hand smiling: "I'm different, remember?"

John nodded and smiled relieved that she didn't resent him. "But why do you sweat? Is it necessary?"

"Why do humans sweat?" Cameron countered with her own question and looked at him expectantly.

John shrugged: "I think that it's to cool the body when it gets overheated."

Cameron nodded, satisfied with his knowledge. "Correct. And it's the same in my case. If my body gets too hot, I have to cool it and perspiring is the most natural process."

John's face suddenly got mischievous at her answer, especially upon hearing her say 'If my body gets too hot' "Well, you should be sweating all the time then." He winked at her.

Cameron looked at him in slight confusion, but slowly realized what he was trying to say and smiled at him impishly: "I guess it's one of advantages of being a cyborg then. Not sweating all the time." She moved closer to him while looking into his eyes: "However if my body is hot, I do sweat." She leaned into him, but before she could kiss him, John hurriedly stood up: "Time to go under the shower." He grabbed his sheet, wrapped the towel around his hips and stepped to the door. There he turned to her and saw her, still sitting there with slightly opened mouth and a clear frown on her face: "Coming with me?"

While shaking her head in disbelief, Cameron finally got up, deliberately making a show of it and grabbing her sheet and towel with no intent to wrap herself into any of them and stepped after him. She saw how his eyes flickered along her body again and smiled satisfied. She achieved what she wanted to.

John swallowed hard and turned to the door again: "OK, let's get under the shower." His eyes flickered towards her for a second again. "Separately!" He could see a clear pout appearing on Cameron's lips. _She's seducing me! Oh man, I'm so screwed! What is she going to do with me? Maybe she's trying to give me a heart attack? Nah! _He shook his head and directed them towards the showers.

TBC


	27. Magical Evening

_So, new chapter, a little later than i planned, but I hope it's still OK._

_Beginning of the chapter is still happening in the spa, but the rest of it moves on. Perhaps you'll find some of Cameron's behavior in the first part of the chapter a bit odd, but you shouldn't forget that she's still evolving. Although it might have looked like she'd transformed herself into completely human behavior overnight, the fact is, she's still learning. And sometimes falling back a little happens. Even to the best._

* * *

**Chapter 27 – Magical Evening**

The two hours, which Sarah determined as the 'off' time for them, passed extremely quickly. Cameron and John were the first to return to their meeting point. Nothing surprising, considering that Cameron was monitoring the clock all the time and she definitely didn't want to be the late one. So they arrived from the sauna even five minutes too soon. However, Cameron decided not to sit or lay on her lounger, but opted for sitting at the edge of the pool with her feet in the water. It made her feel inexplicably good to simply put her feet in the water. John looked at her face, which glowed in satisfaction while she carefully observed the small waves she made with her feet and tilting her head curiously.

"I believe that I'm not wrong if I'd say that you like the water?" He sat down beside her, put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. He gave her a kiss on the top of her head, before she could turn it to face him.

She tilted her face towards John and beamed at him: "No, you're not wrong. I really like it." She paused, made some more waves and watched them with dreamy eyes. Then she turned back to look at her lover's smiling eyes: "I can't understand that I was so uncomfortable with it before."

John shook his head: "Well, I guess it's just like the prejudice that terminators are only killing machines."

"I don't see a connection between these two subjects." Cameron frowned at him and pouted a little, annoyed that she didn't understand the meaning of John's words. _Being human is difficult. There are so many nuances in their speech, behavior that I'm not sure if I'll ever master them all._

"It's quite simple; almost everyone believes that a terminator is a mindless machine, set only to kill humans and nothing more. But the truth is completely different; just look at yourself, Cam. You are still a machine beneath your skin, but that doesn't make you a simple terminator. You're so much more and you're proving all those, who think only in terms of 'terminator equals killer', completely wrong. With your conviction that you cannot swim is just the same; you believed that you couldn't swim, without even trying to master it." John loved to explain such things to Cameron. He felt filled with pride as he looked into her eyes, gazing at him with understanding. The look on her face as she finally understood what he meant was priceless: thankfulness, happiness, adoration, all mixed in a beautiful cocktail of emotions, almost unbelievable to appear on the face of a machine.

She nodded happily: "You're right John. I was sure I couldn't swim, because everyone tried to convince me that I couldn't. But now … after I've seen that I can … I believe that there are more such convictions, which are probably completely wrong." She pressed her body to his and kissed him on a cheek: "Thank you for not seeing me just as a simple terminator."

"How could I? You've proved time and again that you're beyond any possible expectations for evolvement of a machine." He turned to her and captured her lips with his.

The kiss grew more intensive and they were once again beginning to lose themselves in it as an intrusive cleaning of someone's throat disturbed them.

"I thought you two could keep your hands off each other for a short time. I was obviously wrong." Sarah's irritated voice destroyed the last spark of magic, but caused them both to giggle in shame and blush a little before they turned to look at her. She stood like a tower over them with clenched fists on her hips and glared at them intensively. However, a small tug at the corners of her lips revealed that she didn't mean it just the way it came out. They also noticed Derek, standing a little behind Sarah, who looked at Cameron with clearly annoyed face, but decided to stay quiet and allow Sarah to settle the situation.

John coughed tensely: "Sorry, but we did keep our hands from each other. But if I'm not even allowed to kiss my girlfriend, then I'd better …" He trailed off, seeing Sarah grinning at him. So he turned to Cameron, just to see that she was grinning at him too, although because of completely different reasons. He exhaled, relaxed and grinned back.

"Then you'd better what, John?" Sarah didn't want to let go of this opportunity, but backed off quickly after John turned back to her with a hint of a dark look in his eyes, which however dispersed almost immediately. "OK, I get it." She sighed, knowing that she'd have to be really careful with her words for quite a long time_. I have to remember not to tease him or, even worse, to say anything bad about tin miss. Funny, how quickly she ascended to the state of inviolability for John._ "What have you two been doing?" Her voice revealed that she was really interested, not just being polite. Well, that is, if Sarah Connor ever was able to be polite.

"Cameron learned how to swim and then we were in the sauna …" John began to explain but Sarah interrupted him with wide eyes.

"She learned how to swim? But … but … she' can't! She said herself that she can't swim!" Sarah turned to Cameron, who looked at her with self satisfied smirk on her lips.

"I _thought_ I couldn't swim." She explained laconically, but then she turned to John and smiled at him: "I also almost drowned …"

Again it was Sarah's turn to interrupt: "WHAT? You can't drown, you're a ma…" She clasped her hand over the mouth and looked at Cameron with clear fear in her eyes. She almost yelled the biggest secret out to anyone to hear. She muffled through her hand: "Sorry!"

Cameron nodded sympathetically and continued with absolutely innocent sounding voice: "But John showed me how to give mouth to mouth respiration and saved me." She grinned proudly, but her grin ebbed away slowly as she took in John's even redder face and his shaking head, Sarah's unbelieving eyes and Derek's suddenly much darker face.

"You're not helping, Cameron." John whispered into her ear.

"Oh! Sorry!" She was confused as why they all found it so odd that John showed her how to revive a drowning person and her eyes darted from one to another.

The awkwardness of the moment was luckily wiped away with arrival of Andrea and Tim. They strolled towards them, laughing and chatting amicably with each other. It was obvious that they had had a good time, but as they saw Cameron's confused look, John's blushed face, Derek's obvious bad mood and Sarah's state of shock, they stopped laughing and Andrea asked slightly confused: "Is something wrong? We're not _that_ late." She obviously believed that the fact that they were almost ten minutes late was the reason for the awkward silence.

She was reassured as Cameron shook her head and looked at her, with still slightly confused expression: "No, it's not that. I was just explaining to Sarah how John taught me the mouth to mouth respi…"

"CAMERON!" It came at the same time from John and Sarah and Cameron's head bobbed from one to another.

Andrea suddenly understood the situation and grinned from ear to ear: "And what's wrong with that?" She looked at Sarah expectantly.

Before Sarah could answer, Cameron shrugged: "I don't know! I thought it was a good lesson how to save someone who's drowning."

Andrea nodded vividly: "Definitely! I'd also like to learn it." Her eyes involuntarily darted towards John, whose face was now turning a new shade of red.

Cameron noticed her look and her face darkened immediately: "Well, you're not going to learn it from John!" She linked her arm with John's possessively and showed unmistakably that she wasn't ready to share her John with anyone.

"Girls, girls … please!" Tim grinned but tried to calm the situation down before it could escalate further. Actually, Derek was the only one who looked completely unfazed by the conversation and found his nails extraordinary interesting at the moment.

John noticed too that it was time to hit the brake and gently squeezed Cameron's hand, which found its way into his and clutched to it harder than necessary. He looked into her eyes: "Cam, you're the only one whom I'll ever show it. I'm sure that Andrea didn't think that I should teach her. Right, Andrea?" He looked into Andrea's face.

She nodded forcefully: "Absolutely! My remark was meant in general. It would really be good to know how to help someone." She was a little surprised over Cameron's reaction, but understood her as well. _Hell, if I'd be on her place, I'd probably react just as resolutely. Or even more._ She turned to Cameron: "I'm sorry if you misunderstood me. I really wasn't thinking of John."

Cameron peered at Andrea for a second, but saw honesty in her eyes and her face lightened up: "And I'm sorry for overreacting." She could feel John's grateful squeeze and felt proud that she reacted the right way.

John sighed, relieved that the crisis was over before it really emerged at all. Somehow he was even grateful to Andrea and Cameron for this small announcement of a possible chicken fight for it took Sarah's focus away from the imminent problem. _I don't even want to think of a chicken fight between Cameron and Andrea. It wouldn't last even a second. But Cameron really became more human than I could ever believe. Already!_ He looked at everyone: "I suggest we rest for few minutes and then we could return to our hotel, to do something else." He grinned at Cameron's again changed expression. She looked at him with lifted eyebrows. _How can she express so much now, while only few months ago this beautiful face was just a blank mask._ He was surprised that it was Cameron who asked the expected question.

"What would we do? I find it quite nice here and I don't know why I should return to hotel so soon." Her face betrayed her too badly. It was obvious that she didn't like the idea of leaving the spa already.

John swept his look over the others and noticed that he had their undivided attention. "Sledding!"

After few seconds of absolute silence, it was Sarah who found her voice back as first: "Sledding? Like riding a sleigh downhill at neck breaking speed? Like flying off in a curve? That kind of sledding?"

John nodded satisfied: "Exactly! That kind of sledding."

Cameron tried to find any information about sledding in her database and was soon successful. After she reviewed her information, a smile spread across her face. _It's normally an activity for two. I could be quite close to John, without making anyone angry._ She nodded to John: "I'd like to try it." Then she looked a little lost for a second: "But I'd like to be in a spa too." She turned to John, seeking for help.

John smiled at her: "We can return here tomorrow, Cameron. If you like it that much, we can come every day until the end of our vacation."

Cameron's face beamed again: "I'd like that!" She nodded.

"Actually, dude, it's quite a good idea." Tim nodded and pursed his lips. "There's a track beside the slope at the cabin lift and it's open until 23.00 hours. It's naturally illuminated and as I've seen before, it looks quite nice."

Andrea grinned: "Romantically! Just made for Cameron and John." She didn't miss Derek's rolling eyes and Sarah dark look, but chose to ignore the elders. They were on vacation and she decided that she'd enjoy it and wouldn't let anyone spoil it for her.

Derek turned to Sarah: "Are you really thinking of participating in such activities?" He didn't exactly know how to feel. On one hand he found the idea stupid, but on the other side it was appealing to him. He never tried sledding before. There was no snow in L.A. and definitely no snow after the bombs fell.

Sarah actually forgot that she should be angry with John and Cameron and turned to him: "Why not? I haven't tried it before and if I have the opportunity …" She turned to John and smiled at him: "I'm in!" Then she cast a quick glance towards Derek and turned back to John: "And this grumpy too!"

Derek opened his mouth to protest that she made a decision for him, but was silenced by Sarah's raised finger and stern look, so he changed his answer into: "Well, I guess, we could try it too." His voice was less than enthusiastic and he concentrated on his nails again to avoid looking at the others.

Andrea clapped and bounced:" YES! I like it. We're going too. Definitely!" She turned to look at Tim: "I guess you'll be forced to entertain your sister again, bro'!" She exploded into giggles.

Her giggles caused Tim to chuckle: "Oh, it could be worse. With you I'm at least getting something I know very well."

Andrea nudged him with her elbow: "You could probably ask one of those girls you were only minutes ago so focused on." She smirked.

Tim rolled his eyes and sighed exasperatedly: "They are not like I hoped they'd be."

Andrea frowned: "What do you mean?"

Tim grinned: "Their favorite occupation is shopping; their ideal guy is six foot 220 pound hairy muscle package." He shook his head: "I'm nothing of interest to them. And vice versa."

John and Cameron listened to them with clear interest while clutching to each other firmly. "So, I guess it's settled then. We'd like to rest for few minutes and after that, we'll return to the hotel to get ready." He turned to Cameron: "It's going to be very cold. You should take care to put on enough warm clothes." His hand gently caressed her arm.

Cameron smiled at him: "I will. I wouldn't want you to worry about me."

XXXXXXXXXX

About half an hour later they were already in the hotel. Andrea and Tim hurried to their hotel to get ready and promised they'd be back in twenty minutes. That left enough time to get ready without rushing anything.

John was the first to get ready and was now looking at Cameron, who was meticulously scrutinizing her choice of clothes. She opted for her snowboarder pants, a white sweatshirt with long sleeves and turtleneck, over which she put a thick woolen sweater in Norwegian design with little reindeer chasing each other all over it. John looked at her and found her incredibly cute in it. She noticed her stare and turned to him: "Am I dressed correctly?"

John nodded: "Absolutely. You look adorable." Then he frowned: "But you should put something over the sweater too. And don't forget the scarf, cap and gloves. I don't want you to catch cold."

Cameron smiled at him tenderly: "I can't catch cold John. We've been over this before."

"Still! You can feel cold and I don't want you to be uncomfortable." John insisted. He pulled her tasseled cap and gloves out of the closet: "I'm taking these. I have to hurry. Mom wanted to have a word with me in private." He frowned again: "I have absolutely no idea what she wants this time, but I'll humor her. Just don't wait too long. I want you down in five minutes to save me from the dragon mom."

Cameron grinned at his choice of words. She heard how on their way back from the spa Sarah said to John they'd have to have a quick word without hers or Derek's presence. She might not have agreed with it, but she knew that John and Sarah needed some privacy to improve their shattered relationship so she reluctantly agreed to let him go. "I'll come in five minutes. Not a second longer. You two better hurry with what you have to talk about."

John smiled back: "Thank you Cam. You're my savior again." Then he turned and left the room, taking Cameron's cap and gloves with him.

XXXXXXXXXX

After he arrived to the lobby, he saw that his mother was already sitting there and waiting for him. Her eyes swept over the place, subconsciously looking for any possible threats. He shook his head slightly. _She's never going to relax. No one is ever safe. Not even from your attention, mom!_ He went to her and let himself sink in the soft armchair opposite her.

Sarah noticed his arrival immediately upon him exiting the lift and looked at him like a hawk, taking in his every move and expression. _He's somehow more mature than only few days ago. Perhaps tin miss really isn't bad for him. _Her thoughts were interrupted by John, who sat down in front of her and looked at her inquisitively.

"So, here I am, mom. What do you want to talk about?"

Sarah inhaled deeply and concentrated on the topic, she wanted to talk about. Ever since Derek told her about his interrogation in the future by Cameron, she felt the need to tell it to John. Lately perhaps less urgent, but still … "John, there's something you should know about Cameron and Derek."

John immediately understood what she was trying to tell him and in his thoughts he thanked Cameron that she already remembered the incident and also told him about it. So he grinned and interrupted Sarah: "If you think about the interrogation in the future, I already know it mom."

The impact of his words on Sarah was immediate and monumental. Her jaw almost hit the floor and her eyes widened uncontrollably. After initial shock she stuttered: "B … b … but? How? I had no idea until Derek told me."

John explained patiently: "Cameron has been having flashbacks recently. She remembers things from the future, which she shouldn't remember at all. And she told me everything she remembered."

"So you know that she tortured him?" Sarah's voice was suddenly angry and she stared at John coldly. "Did she tell you that she killed all the others from his team? Did she tell you that?"

John sighed: "She told me everything. Things that Derek doesn't even know too." Suddenly there was a sharp edge in his voice: "You have to know that it wasn't really Cameron who did those things. And yet she feels remorse for it. And no … _she_ didn't kill the others. She allowed it to happen, because morality, sanctity of human life was a mystery to her at that time." He paused and looked at Sarah as angrily as she peered at him: "Did Derek also tell you that it was _her_, who put him on a longer chain? Did he tell you that it was _her_ who gave him the axe to free himself? Did he tell you that _she_ instructed all machines to let him return to the base? I guess not, because he had no idea that it was _her_, who actually _saved _him." His voice was quiet but cold, just like his eyes.

Sarah suddenly felt deflated like a plump tire. _What if this is all true?_ She couldn't believe that Cameron would do such a thing. But it all added up perfectly. Everything Derek told her and John's story matched and completed the story smoothly. She opened and closed her mouth few times like a fish out of water, without making a single sound. She stared into Johns, now much warmer eyes, and tried to deal with the facts, he told her. Should she believe? Wouldn't Cameron lie to him, like she did numerous times before? She clung to this idea like a drowning person to a piece of wood. "John, you can't be sure that she told you the truth. She lied to you before."

John's eyes turned cold again and he shook his head in disbelief: "Yes mom, she lied before. But I _know_ that she didn't lie to me in this matter. You haven't seen her while she told me. You haven't seen how scared she was that I wouldn't understand her. You haven't seen her tears."

Sarah saw absolute conviction in John's eyes and her belief that Cameron might have lied to him began to melt like snow on a warm spring day. She sighed and looked at her hands, which were laid in her lap with intertwined fingers, playing nervously. After a while she looked into her son's face again and saw that his coldness dissolved again. "I'm sorry John."

John's voice was genuinely curious: "What for?"

"For not believing you." She stopped and corrected herself: "For not believing _in_ you."

John stared into her eyes for a long moment, trying to see if she was genuinely sorry or was it just a façade to distract him. He couldn't see anything but remorse and sorrow in them so he smiled briefly: "If you really believe me to be the one I'm supposed to be, you'll have to start believing in me and trusting my decisions. And you can as well start with trusting me that I'm right about Cameron."

Sarah nodded slightly reluctantly and opened her mouth to answer, but in that moment, Cameron appeared at John's side and put her hand on his shoulder. She saw how John's face instantly changed. The moment he looked at Cameron his eyes became warm and he smiled at her gently: "Hi!"

Cameron smiled back: "Everything all right?" Her eyes flickered towards Sarah questioningly and settled back at John's.

John nodded and put his hand over hers, still resting on his shoulder: "Yeah, everything's fine. My mom just informed me that Derek told her about the interrogation."

Sarah looked at Cameron carefully and she saw how some strange expression, just like fear, briefly showed on her face before she put on the blank mask again.

"Oh!" Cameron kept it short and emotionless.

John saw the brief subtle change on her face as well. Unlike his mother, he was able to explain it correctly. Cameron was afraid that their relationship might be influenced. He smiled at her reassuringly: "I explained it to her. Just like you did to me. Everything's fine now."

Cameron's eyes returned to look into Sarah's and slight hesitation and expectance could be seen in them. This time Sarah was sure that she saw it and she nodded: "Like John said. Everything's fine."

John squeezed Cameron's hand reassuringly and nodded to her sympathetically.

"I see that we're all here now." Derek's voice came from behind Cameron and as they turned to look at him, they saw, how he entered the lobby from the entrance, together with Andrea and Tim.

Sarah scrunched her forehead: "What were you doing outside? I thought I left you in the room."

"You did. But I got bored so I went outside to catch some fresh air and waited for Andrea and Tim to stop them, should they arrive early." Derek grinned at them, proud that he managed to sneak past his nephew and his mother without them noticing it. That he exited through the back door was a minor detail he decided to keep secret.

Sarah's eyes narrowed at him: "Right! And you simply sneaked past us without anyone of us noticing you. Do you really think that I believe you? I accidentally know that this hotel has back door too."

Derek's pride seemed to be brought back to reality and he sighed: "OK, guilty as charged." But then his face lit up again: "But I really prevented Andrea and Tim from disturbing you two."

Tim nodded: "Exactly. For once in the history we came early and we ran into him. I believed that we'd be early for the first time in my life and he stopped us." He shrugged: "Now the chance is gone and I won't be able to say that I _did_ come early once." Then he grinned: "Never mind! It's my trademark that I'm always late."

John smiled and got up from his seat, handing Cameron her cap and gloves: "Let's go!" He waited for Cameron to put on her cap and couldn't help but admire her appearance again. _She's too cute to be real! _After she put on her gloves too, he caught her hand with his and pulled her towards the exit, not wanting to wait for the others.

XXXXXXXXXX

The stars shone from the clear sky like little dots, their pale light reflecting from the sparkling snow. The whole picture was somehow out of worldly and even Cameron was impressed by the serenity and beauty of the landscape. There were very little people on the streets and the lamps, throwing their yellowish light over the snow covered streets only added their part of magic to the nature. Cameron tilted her face to look at the stars.

"Do you like them?" John's quiet voice whispered into her ear.

She was little startled, but didn't show it. She turned to look at him: "Like what?"

"The stars." John's forefinger shot upwards to point at the night skies. "I saw how entranced you looked, gazing upon them."

Cameron's face returned to look upwards. After a second she nodded: "Yes. There are no stars in the future. Pity. They are so beautiful."

Johns hand let loose of her and his arm snaked around her waist to bring her closer to him: "Then you should enjoy them as much as you can." He tilted his face to look at them too, but after few steps almost stumbled, so he returned his look towards the street below. "But they are also dangerous if you pay them too much attention." He grinned at his clumsiness.

Cameron put her arm around his waist too and closed her eyes: "Not if you are being guided by someone. Someone you love and trust completely." A content smile appeared on her face.

John looked at her and suddenly felt like being thrown into a fairy tale. Her beautiful face was still tilted upwards but her eyes were closed. The soft light of the stars and street lamps illuminated it and changed her features into a magical appearance. Breath caught in his throat at the sight before his eyes and his heart skipped a beat. "I'm the luckiest guy in the world." His murmured words weren't supposed to be heard by her, but, again, he underestimated her abilities.

Her eyes opened and she looked at him dreamily: "Why?"

John shook his head upon his own stupidity for not knowing that she heard everything and grinned: "To have you, Cam."

For a second Cameron contemplated his words but in the next second she beamed at him: "Thank You John. And I'm the luckiest girl in the world to have you." She stretched to him and gave him a gentle kiss.

John chuckled quietly: "I believe that this is the first time that you refer to yourself as a girl and not as a machine."

Cameron gave him a ghost of a smile and tilted her head towards the stars again: "It's the first time I feel like one."

TBC


	28. Magical Sledding

_Thank you for all reviews. I'm definitely thrilled to see that you like the fluff I'm writing as a counter balance to all darker stories here. LOL Not exactly serious …_

_Another experience awaits our heroes. In this chapter there are some hints as of what is probably going to happen in next chapters. The story slowly but inevitably nears its end. However, there are still few more chapters before it definitely ends (probably four more). _

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**Chapter 28 – Magical Sledding**

The walk to the cabin lift, where they would rent the sleighs took them about fifteen minutes. Cameron walked a good part of the way with closed eyes, even ignoring the data that her sensors served her and relying completely on John's guidance. Ho noticed her closed eyes and her firm clutching to him and realized what she was doing. He wanted to ask her why, but noticed her content smile and realized that it would only spoil the magic of the moment, should he ask her. So he just drew her even closer to him and guided her, avoiding any possible obstacle that might cause her to stumble upon.

Upon arriving to the lift, they saw that it was already in operation and few other people carried the sleighs to the lift to ascend the mountain. They quickly found the shop where they could rent the sleighs and this time John and Cameron decided that it would be them, with help of Tim, who would arrange everything. The memory of Sarah's organizing of the snowboard course was still too fresh in John's memory to allow his mother to take initiative again. He was reasonably sure she wouldn't try anything similar, but still rather opted for the safest solution.

After few minutes they came out of the shop with three rented sleighs, each big enough for two persons and made their way over to Andrea, Sarah and Derek, who already waited for them at the lift station.

Sarah eyed the sleigh that John pushed towards her with slight suspicion clearly written in her eyes and then turned to John: "Is this thing strong enough for the two of us?" She gestured towards Derek, who was also scrutinizing the sleigh thoroughly, but kept silent.

John gave her a one-sided grin: "I guess it should be. At least I asked the guy in there if it's strong enough for two heavy persons and he confirmed that it most definitely is."

Sarah furrowed her eyebrows: "I'm not that heavy!"

John's grin widened: "Oh yes you are mom. Not heavy as 'heavy', but sometimes you can be very heavy like 'difficult'." His eyes turned to Derek: "Not to speak about your designed sleigh mate at all."

Derek finally looked into his eyes and as he saw John's grinning face, he grinned back: "OK, John, I'll pretend not to have heard the last remark. You most definitely should learn how to show some respect to older, more experienced people."

Sarah already opened her mouth to express her indignation upon Derek's remark at her son and her son's opinion of her 'heaviness', but Derek grabbed her arm and stopped her: "Let him enjoy his little rant, Sarah."

She turned to the resistance fighter and looked at him irritated, but her bad mood quickly vanished and she smirked: "Yeah, you're right. I'll find a way to get even." She turned to John: "When you expect it the least…"

John laughed upon her threat and looked at Cameron. He saw her dark look, directed at his mother: "Ease up, Cam. She's just making fun of me. It's nothing to be worried about."

Cameron didn't completely agree with him. If someone was even remotely threatening or making fun of her John, it was her duty and deepest wish to protect him. So she turned to look at him, seeing gentle eyes, pleading with her not to spoil the moment. Reluctantly, she suppressed her protective instinct and smiled a little strained: "OK John."

Andrea and Tim meanwhile already left the group and went to the entrance area, where they waited for the rest of them so they missed the little exchange of opinions between the Connors. After few seconds they were joined by them.

After arriving at the lift's mountain station, they quickly found the start of the track and gathered there. Derek pulled the sleigh behind him and looked a little off to find himself in such a role. But, on the other hand, he was slightly excited to see how it would be to speed down the hill on the sled. Tim and John, on the other hand, didn't look as much off the role as the hardened resistance fighter.

Andrea was probably the most anxious to finally get on the sleigh of them all and she didn't stop talking all the way from the lift to the start ramp. Tim looked into John's direction with resignation and cast him a pleading look: "Is anyone able to stop this babbler? If she doesn't stop talking for at least five seconds, I'll deny her being related to me!"

Sarah and John grinned at his helplessness while Cameron gently squeezed John's hand. After he turned to her, she whispered: "Why would he want to deny being related to Andrea? We all know that he is." She looked at him confused.

John smiled: "He didn't mean it literally. It's just a saying that we use. He wants to tell her to stop babbling; otherwise he would be ashamed of her."

John's explanation didn't make any special sense to Cameron, but she understood now that Tim's words weren't meant as they sounded. She looked at John and smiled slightly: "Thank you."

John waited for the second part of her line and as it didn't come, he looked at her again. He knew definitely that she didn't exactly and completely understand his explanation: "I guess my explanation wasn't that helpful, right?"

Cameron looked a bit ashamed and after a second she shook her head: "No, not exactly." Then her face brightened: "But it doesn't matter. I know that he didn't mean it literally."

They turned to Derek, who surprised everyone by taking the initiative: "We should decide the departure order."

"Why would that be so important that we should decide about it? I thought it was like: take the sleigh, whizz down the hill and after a while, try not to crash at the bottom." Sarah asked slightly confused. "What's the big deal about the starting order?"

Derek smirked at her: "Well, for one: the first one could get in the way of the next ones. If you topple or fall, there's always a chance that the next one hits you. And if the second one is much heavier …" He let Sarah and the others fill in the blanks by themselves.

Andrea pictured herself being hit by a much heavier Derek and shuddered: "I guess I wouldn't like you crashing into me with full speed." Then she grinned: "But there's a simple solution: you go before me!" She looked at Derek challenging and grinned wide.

Derek grinned back and nodded: "Exactly what I was trying to say. If a sparrow like you crashes into me, I won't even feel it, but vice versa... it wouldn't be very nice."

John decided that it took them definitely too long to decide upon such a simple matter. _Man, if I'm going to have such problems making the decisions in the future, Skynet will die of laughter before we even start a single attack against it!_ He raised his hand: "ENOUGH!" Everyone stopped talking and looked at him slightly confused. He grinned: "Good! I've heard enough of your babbling. Mom; you and Derek go first, Andrea and Tim second and Cameron and I will be the last. Now stop whining and GO!" He emphasized his last word and leaned a bit forward to underline his determination while also stretching his arm towards the track. He didn't miss Cameron's admiring look that she gave him.

Cameron was happy that John took the initiative to resolve the situation and that he did it with such authority. _He's developing really fast! He's definitely ahead of the schedule._ She couldn't and wouldn't hide how proud she was of him. It was just a small and simple matter, but the way how everyone acknowledged his authority was the most important aspect. Even Andrea and Tim, hard headed as they were, obeyed him without a second of hesitation or arguing.

Sarah shared Cameron's feelings and looked at John proudly. Then she sat on their sleigh and turned to Derek: "OK. I'm steering and you're responsible for braking. Now SIT DOWN."

Derek tried to protest, but saw the determination on Sarah's face and took his place behind her, grumbling something about bickering and commanding women. He pressed himself to her back and suddenly felt warmer than the low temperatures would normally allow him to.

Sarah felt his body and his warmth on her back and asked herself if it was a good idea to let him sit behind her. Or, if accepting John's suggestion to go sledding was right decision at all. But she cast her reservations aside: "Ready, Reese?"

He grunted something unintelligible in response but she interpreted it as his consent and started to push the sleigh with her legs. After just two pushes, the sleigh began to move down the track and in a matter of seconds they turned around the first curve and vanished from sight.

Immediately after they disappeared, Andrea and Tim started their sleigh too and followed the elder ones down the track.

Cameron and John were now left alone and looked at each other. Cameron was wondering why she felt something like anticipation, while John knew why he felt it. She looked at John: "Who's going to steer? You or me?"

John grinned at her: "I'll take the responsibility to bring us in one piece down the hill. I'm the man and it's a man's thing to steer." _Excellent speech, Johnny! That's exactly the right way to talk to her! You're an idiot and nothing can change that. Sometime soon you'll have to learn how to control your tongue and not blurt out the first stupid thought that crosses your mind._ But the words were out and he was almost wincing in anticipation of Cameron's answer, knowing that he'd have to find a way to minimize the impact.

Cameron's head tilted dangerously while she looked at him with indignation, although she kept her facial expression blank: "I can't believe that you really said that! Are you really trying to impress me with such macho nonsense?"

John suddenly felt even more stupid. He looked at the ground for a second, coughed and finally lifted his look to gaze into Cameron's inquiring and slightly angry eyes: "Sorry, Cam. I didn't mean it the way it came out."

Cameron's fake anger vanished and she smiled at him: "Don't forget that I'm physically much stronger than you."

John felt off the hook and smiled relieved at his lover: "Yeah, I know. But you're still a girl and I feel that I have to protect you."

Cameron was taken aback at his sudden revelation: "John. I don't need protecting. You should never, understand this, _never_, try to protect me. It's my job to protect you and not the other way around."

John grinned: "I know. And yet I'll always protect you." Then he sat on their sleigh and motioned to her: "Will you now finally get your cute butt down here and wrap your arms around me?"

Cameron sighed and rolled her eyes in fake irritation, but a smile immediately appeared on her lips as she straddled the sleigh and sat on it behind John. She pressed herself tight to him and snaked her arms around his torso. "As you say, John."

Feeling her body, pressed to his and her arms, squeezing his torso, John smiled and turned his head to look at her: "Are you ready honey?"

Her lips gently touched his cheek and after they retreated, she breathed in his ear: "Yes, I'm ready John."

They started the descent and John decided not to take it too fast. He enjoyed feeling Cameron so close, he cherished her arms, wrapped around him; he longed for the touch of her cheek against his neck. Cameron enjoyed it as much as John. She suddenly realized that her words, she would be ready, meant much more than just the fact that she was ready to start down the hill. She suddenly understood that she was also ready to deepen her relationship with John. She was ready to be his girlfriend in each and every way possible. At sudden recognition she smiled into John's nape and kissed it gently.

John involuntarily shuddered at the touch of Cameron's lips and he had to struggle with the sleigh to keep control. They were gliding in a peaceful manner, just fast enough to enjoy the cold wind, blowing Cameron's hair back, but not too fast to miss the beautiful night scenery around them. The spruce trees and firs stood proud on each side of the track, covered with snow and glowing dimly in the starlight and moonlight, shining from the clear sky. Soft crunching of the sled against the snow was actually the only sound they could hear and John felt how his heart almost sang in joy. He was here, gliding through the magical night in absolute serenity, while the person, who meant everything to him, sat behind him and hugged him tight. The world simply couldn't get any better at the moment! The unexpected touch of Cameron's lips on his nape sent shivers down his spine. "Cam? Do you want us to have an accident?"

"Why would I want that, John?" Cameron's voice was slightly perplexed. She didn't understand why John would think something like that.

"By disturbing me with kisses." John's complaint was not exactly meant seriously and he mastered the next curve perfectly. "I cannot fully concentrate on steering when you turn me on like that."

Now Cameron understood what John meant and she smiled into his nape again. "Am I turning you on John? I only gave you a kiss." Her voice was far too innocent not to be teasing him.

John grinned at her words and prepared for the next curve. _She knows perfectly well that she's turning me on and she wants to do it. Maybe … maybe we're ready …_ He chased the thought away, feeling how his cheeks got warmer. But the impact of such thoughts influenced his concentration again and they took a bumpy ride around the next curve.

"John? Why are you steering so hectically?" Cameron now understood and enjoyed the impact of her deeds and words on John and she teased him with innocent voice.

"Oh Cam, you know perfectly well why." John sighed exasperatedly. Before he could say anything else, Cameron interrupted him.

"Shhhh!" Cameron suddenly hissed and John's ears perked up. He knew that Cameron always had a good reason when she told him to be quiet. "I'm hearing voices ahead." She paused. "Derek, Andrea and Tim. But I don't hear Sarah. They've stopped."

"Do you think that something's wrong, Cameron?" John suddenly worried that something might have happened.

"I don't know. I hear them, but they're still too far to understand the words. We will have to come closer to them." Cameron explained while she tried to adjust her hearing so that she'd understand the words. Unfortunately the ever so soft crunching of the sleigh interfered too much and made it impossible even for her to understand what was being said. She sighed slightly irritated and unsatisfied with her own abilities.

John felt how her body tensed against his. He knew that her hearing was much better than human; he still didn't hear anything.

After few moments, they turned the next curve and in that moment John already saw the others. They were standing in the middle of the track, all, minus his mother, gathered on one place. Suddenly he began to worry and the last part of the way to reach them seemed unbelievably long.

As soon as they reached the trio, they stopped abruptly and jumped from the sled. "Where's mom?" John almost yelled at them.

Derek turned to him and shrugged: "I have no idea. We toppled and I was thrown in the middle of the track, quite few yards down it. As I looked around, she was gone." His eyes looked at his nephew worriedly.

"How you mean gone? She can't be gone! You just toppled and she can't be far away." John was growling at his uncle. In an instant he forgot that he had some serious issues with his mother in the last days. In this moment she was only his mother, someone whom he loved dearly.

Cameron's hand found its way on his shoulder: "Don't get upset John. We'll find her. She can't be far away." She tried to calm him down, but John was too upset to listen to her so he shrugged her hand off of his shoulder.

"It's easy for you to talk! She's not your mother!" He snarled at her and completely missed the hurt expression, appearing on her face after his vigorous action. He didn't even look at her while growling at the others: "OK, let's find her. She's not on the track, meaning she must be somewhere beside it. Start from the point where they toppled and search the forest. Derek, Andrea and Tim, you take the right side, Cameron and I will search on the left."

Everyone apart from Cameron nodded and they took off to find the missing Sarah. Cameron felt uneasy. She just tried to comfort John, but failed miserably. She understood that he was upset, but obviously underestimated his attachment to Sarah. She thought of trying again, but decided that at the moment she should leave him and try to comfort him later, after Sarah would be found. So she quietly turned to the left side of the track and started her search.

John saw how Cameron wordlessly turned and started towards the edge of the track and suddenly felt like the biggest jerk. _She was just trying to comfort me and I spit in her face._ He opened his mouth to call after her, but she already vanished into the forest. For a second he hung his head and shook it in dismay over his own stupidity. _I'll have to make it up to her as soon as we find mom._ Then he pushed these thoughts aside and started his search too. Finding Sarah was the most important thing right now.

While the search went on, occasional calling out of Sarah's name could be heard from different directions except from Cameron's. She remained silent, but tried different specters of her vision and decided that IR vision was probably the best solution. It was bitter cold and Sarah's body temperature would be in a stark contrast to her environment, making her clearly visible for Cameron. After just few seconds, she noticed that only few yards from her, someone was sitting on the lowest branch of a tree. Her head snapped upwards to check with her normal vision and she saw Sarah, sitting on a branch, about five feet above the ground, grinning from ear to ear. Cameron tilted her head curiously and asked perplexed: "Why are you sitting on the tree, Sarah?"

Sarah had been sitting on the branch for a while now and waited for someone to come around. After they toppled and the sled with Derek continued down the track for few more yards, she had been thrown in the deep snow at the side of the track. After she could dig herself out, she saw Derek, sitting in the middle of the track, looking around completely confused and in that moment a plan formed in her head. She'd tease them all and pretend to disappear, just to see their reactions. Yes, it was childish, but this whole day had been childish and it couldn't hurt if she'd pretend a little bit longer. However, the wait extended for a longer time period than she anticipated and she was already feeling the cold and from time to time shivered involuntarily. But she wouldn't reveal herself yet and as she finally saw Cameron coming towards her and heard her curious voice, asking her such naïve question, she momentarily forgot that she was in fact cold, snorted and exploded into laughter.

Cameron was completely baffled upon Sarah's reaction and her head tilted even more. But only a second later she remembered that she should inform the others that she found Sarah. "I've found her!" She yelled while her eyes remained glued to wildly laughing Sarah.

After few seconds Sarah finally managed to get her laugh attack under control and jumped off the branch. "What do you think I have been doing up on the branch?"

"I don't know." Cameron thought for a moment and after she found no logical explanation, she repeated: "What were you doing up on the branch?"

Sarah grinned even wider and fought hard not to explode into laughter again: "Why, I was hiding, Cameron! H.I.D.I.N.G."

"But …" Cameron was now even more curious: "Why were you hiding? I don't understand."

In the meanwhile everyone else arrived at their location too, the last being John, for he was probably the most eager and covered the most area since they began their search, distancing himself the farthest from Sarah's actual position. After he saw his mother grinning like an idiot and Cameron's baffled look, he sighed. He was relieved that his mother was OK, but confused as to what had happened. "What the hell happened to you mom?"

Sarah turned to him and after she suppressed the urge to laugh, she began explaining her story. After she finished, there was a smile on every face, with exception of Cameron and Derek. Derek looked insulted into Sarah's eyes: "Well, Sarah, that was definitely not funny. I thought something happened to you."

Sarah stepped to him and put her hand on his shoulder: "I'm sorry Derek, but after I saw you, how lost you looked in the middle of the track, sitting there like a heap of misery, I couldn't help but tease you."

Derek looked into her eyes and finally smiled: "I guess I really looked stupid, didn't I?"

Sarah just nodded and grinned at him.

John, relieved that it was just a prank, finally turned to look at Cameron, who was standing few steps from him and looked a little dejected. His grin vanished and he stepped to her. Her eyes remained glued to the ground and she rejected to look into his eyes at first.

"Cam?" He asked gently, knowing that she was probably still confused and hurt due to his reaction on her attempt of comforting him before.

Her head finally snapped up and she looked at him. The look in her eyes shook John deeply. The fear, confusion and anticipation in her eyes showed him clearly how his reaction hurt her.

He sighed and grabbed her hands, which hung loosely at her sides. "I'm so sorry Cam. I shouldn't have yelled at you. I know that you were just trying to help. I was so worried about mom that I couldn't see it. Forgive me?" Her head was again tilted downwards and he had to bow to one side a little and tilt his head upwards to look into her downcast eyes. After he finally caught a look at her face, he saw her grinning and her eyes flickered towards his. "Fooled you again!"

He sighed happily that she obviously forgave him and straightened up. Cameron mirrored his movement and now he could see her smiling face with shining eyes, looking at him mischievously. He grabbed the sides of her face and kissed her. "You are getting far too good at teasing me, Cam."

Then he turned back to the others and noticed that they all looked at them curiously: "What? Can't I even kiss my girlfriend without being scrutinized by everyone present?" He mocked at them.

Sarah shook her head: "John, you are definitely my son. You've got my temper. I'm just not sure if it's a good thing good or a bad one." Sarah finally grinned at her son, just like Andrea and Time, who were having hard time not to burst out in laughter.

John grinned back, took Cameron's hand and went towards the track to continue their descent. After they reached the sleds, Cameron immediately took her place and looked at John expectantly.

"I think that I've had enough for today." It was Derek, who mouthed his opinion. He really didn't want to try it one more time. Sarah looked at her son and nodded. "Me too."

Andrea already wanted to express her protest, but was cut off by Tim, who looked at Cameron and saw a little pout appearing on her lips after Derek announced he would return to the hotel. _She probably enjoys the evening and thinks that we would now all want to return to our hotels._ He beat Andrea to talking: "We'll go back to hotel too." Then he turned to John: "But you should stay here if you like it." He looked at Cameron and smiled: "I believe that I'm not wrong if I say Cameron probably wants to give it another try."

Cameron's eyes flickered to look at him in barely hidden astonishment. _How could he know what I was thinking?_

Upon hearing Tim's words, John turned to Cameron and saw her astonished look, directed to Tim. He also noticed her still slightly pouting lips and it didn't take him long to see that Tim obviously correctly interpreted Cameron's expression. _Interesting! Few days ago I was the only one who could read her and now she's acting that much human that even someone, who knows her for only few days, can see how she feels!_ He stepped to her, took her hand into his and smiled at her: "I think that she's not the only one. I'd like to repeat this too." Then he looked at Sarah: "Without the hide and seek interruption!" His eyes turned back to Cameron's.

Cameron's brown eyes gazed at him intently, trying to see if he really meant it. She could see nothing but honesty in his eyes so she smiled at him brightly: "I'd really love that John."

Sarah rolled her eyes, knowing that they actually enjoyed their decision, which would give them the opportunity to be alone. "Right, John. You two enjoy yourselves but don't stay here too late. One of you might catch a cold."

"Actually, we can't stay too long mom. In one hour they'll stop the lift and we'll have to return to the hotel." John grinned and turned to Derek: "You should be careful for the rest of the way down. Don't fly out of the curve or topple in the middle of the track."

Derek grimaced: "Very funny! It wasn't my fault actually. Sarah was steering and made the mistake. Ouch! Stop that, Sarah!" He jumped as Sarah's fist made contact with his shoulder.

"I didn't cause it! You were braking at the incorrect point, overestimating your capabilities and caused everything." She snarled at him but smirked nonetheless.

John turned to Cameron with a grin and shook his head: "And they say I was the teenager…"

Meanwhile Tim managed to persuade Andrea not to protest his decision to return to hotel with clear depiction that Cameron and John wanted to be alone. Slightly reluctantly she turned to John and Cameron: "OK, we'll see us tomorrow, right?"

John nodded and sat on his place in front of Cameron. She hugged him and put her chin on his shoulder, smiling contently. "Yeah, we'll see us tomorrow. Come by the same time as today." He turned to Sarah: "Bye, see you later … or tomorrow." He didn't wait for the others to get ready and started down the track.

The rest of the descent was uneventful, but still retained it flair of magic. They were finally alone and no one disturbed them. Every second was a pure bliss to John and he felt happier than any other time that he could remember. As they arrived at the lift they saw that there were no other people and entered the cabin immediately, not waiting for the others to come down too.

In the cabin, Cameron took off her gloves and her cap, shaking her hair loose, so that it flew freely over her shoulders. John looked at her and noticed how a halo of light formed around her head, for exactly behind her back, a floodlight of the track illuminated the area.

"You look like an angel, Cam." He pressed through his constricted throat.

She smiled at him gently, but then got serious again: "John, there's something I have to tell you."

"Yes, Cameron? I hope it's nothing bad."

She shook her head: "I think not." She paused and looked directly into his eyes: "As I switched off on the slope earlier, I couldn't remember the exact time marks." She looked at him expectantly.

John just nodded and slightly lifted his eyebrows to tell her to continue.

Cameron inhaled deeply. _Funny! I don't have to breathe and yet I do it, just like I were a human._ "I now know why…."

Before she could continue, John interrupted her enthusiastically: "Really? That's awesome, Cam!" Then he saw a slight annoyance in Cameron's face: "OK, I'll keep my mouth shut." He grinned at her sheepishly.

She smiled and continued: "I made a deep scan of my chip and found some damaged sectors. They've probably been caused by the car explosion. But my systems didn't recognize them as such and continue to store data on the whole chip. The information of exact switch off and on times has been stored there. So I can't remember it."

John's face scrunched in sudden worry: "Does that mean that it can happen to you that you won't remember certain things? That they'll be written on these, damaged sectors?" He couldn't imagine that Cameron could simply forget some things. Then another thought struck him: "How is it possible that you didn't found the damage to your chip sooner?"

Cameron smiled at him and shook her head: "I just told you that my system didn't recognize the damaged sectors and only a deep scan revealed them. And no, it can't happen that I'd not remember some things from now on. I already adjusted my systems so that the damaged sectors are partitioned off and blocked from writing on them. I can still access them for reading the data, but I can't write anything new on them."

John's face lightened up like a Christmas tree. He leaned forward and kissed her lightly. Suddenly he straightened up and looked at her inquisitively. "Cam? Is it possible that you are remembering things from the future now because they are stored on these sectors?"

Cameron tilted her head and her eyes got that faraway look that signaled her processing of something very difficult. After a second, she straightened her head and looked into John's eyes: "Yes, they are all written on the damaged sectors."

"That would explain why you're having these flashbacks. You didn't know about the data on the damaged sectors and an involuntary action or processing of a random code probably revealed them to you." John looked lost in his thoughts and after few seconds he concentrated on her eyes again: "But now that you know it, you could probably try to get all possible information from these sectors."

Cameron nodded, but her face looked strangely strained: "I probably could." She paused and looked at John like a lost child: "But I don't know if I want it."

John nodded in sudden realization of what she was trying to tell him. There was a possibility that she would remember more of the gruesome things she had done before she had been reprogrammed and before she began to value human life. His hands shot out and took hold of hers with a reassuring squeeze: "You're probably right Cam." His thumbs began to stroke the backs of her hands gently and after a moment of silence he began in a quiet voice: "There's something I have to tell you too, Cam."

She tilted her head curiously and looked at him with her huge eyes.

"You remember when you explained to me that you had an order to surrender your chip if someone would ask you the correct question?"

Cameron nodded and waited for him to continue.

John sighed and continued, while looking her straight in the eyes: "I asked you to promise me not to surrender your chip without my approval." He stopped, swallowed and continued after few seconds; "I've been thinking about my request and realized that I could never allow you to do something like that. I can't do anything of this without you Cameron. I need you, not to be my protector, I need _you_. So I'm revising my request. I don't want you to ever, EVER, even consider such an action."

Cameron looked at him slightly confused: "But, John, we've already discussed this question and agreed that I would do it only if you'd agree to do it."

"Yeah, we did. But I realized that it would be completely unacceptable to even consider a possibility to lose you. I can't …" His voice broke and he hugged her fiercely.

Cameron was taken aback and she needed a second before she hugged him back, gently caressing his back. _He's distressed. I can't allow him to be distressed._ "It's OK John, I promised and I intend to keep my promise. I wouldn't want to exist without you either."

"Live!"

Cameron was perplexed and didn't understand John's interjection. "I don't understand."

"Live, Cameron! You don't exist, you live!" This time John made it clearer to her.

Cameron smiled silently and nodded into his neck. _He values me so much that he says I live and not exist._

But before they could continue their conversation, the cabin stopped at the mountain station and they had to get out. They both were still under impression of the talk they just had and went to the starting point in silence, their arms wrapped around each other and clutching to each other as if they wouldn't want to ever lose the close body contact again.

They enjoyed the descent and after they returned the sleigh, they walked towards the hotel, still wrapped in silence and love. As they approached the hotel, John suddenly stopped and caused Cameron to look at him questioningly. He gazed into her eyes intently: "I don't want to go to sleep yet Cam. We could go to the bar. There's live music and we could sit there, dance, whatever you want."

For a second Cameron considered reminding John that it was already late and he should get enough sleep but as she looked into his shining expectant eyes, she decided that he wouldn't take it too well. So she smiled at him: "If you want, I'd be glad to."

John grinned widely: "OK, let's go to our room and dress something nice. I want you to look like my princess."

Cameron just smiled back. She already knew what she would wear to impress him.

TBC


	29. Magical Dance

_I've raised rating for this story to "T" to allow my muse more freedom in this chapter. But, because I want it to remain accessible to almost everyone, I had to restrain myself at describing the last scene of the chapter. I hope that I still managed somehow convincing description of Cameron's and John's "first time"._

_The lyrics (two lines) in this chapter belong to Mick Jones of the band Foreigner – I just borrowed them._

_However, I have to warn the readers that this is probably the sappiest chapter I've ever written. And yet, I still hope that few readers will find it worth reading._

* * *

**Chapter 29 – Magical Dance**

John couldn't help but stare at Cameron with his mouth hanging open, while his eyes got that distinct, slightly glassy look of adoration. He was standing at the door of their room, dressed in new black pants and a red long sleeved shirt which was also almost new. Now, as he was gaping at his girlfriend, he completely forgot that he at first felt uncomfortable in his new clothes and they definitely didn't bother him anymore. They returned from the sledding experience only few minutes ago and changed into more proper clothing to go to the bar. As usually, he was finished very quickly, but Cameron took her time, although she was still very quick compared to average human girls. Not that John would have any mentionable experiences with waiting on his dates, apart from Cameron, but he was reasonably sure that she was quite quick. Few second ago she exited the bathroom and in an instant he saw her, she took his breath away. _I really don't know where she gets such beautiful things. I never even dreamed that she'd have something like this in her closet!_

She was wearing a sleeveless red dress, almost the same shade as his shirt, ending just above the knees with accentuated thin waist that only stressed her perfect figure. Over her shoulders she wrapped a silky scarf in matching color and wore black sandals with quite high heels. Her hair hung in gentle locks over her shoulders and he could see some red highlights in it to match her dress. _Where did she get those highlights? How could she have done this in only few minutes?_

He didn't even notice her slightly tilted head and questioning look so much was he wrapped up in his admiration. "John?" Her voice was almost timid, but her eyes revealed that she understood and enjoyed his reaction to her appearance. After all … she chose her attire and hair style very carefully with quite clear goal to impress her John. She actually asked herself why it became so important to her to impress him, but she couldn't make any logical conclusions, it simply was so. She longed for his admiration, she longed for his acknowledgment that she made the right choice.

Few seconds after hearing her voice, John finally snapped out of his reverie and looked into her eyes: "Yeah Cam?"

She twirled around coquettish and looked at him again: "Have I made correct choice of clothing?"

John finally swallowed and nodded: "Absolutely correct. Like I said … you'll be my princess, the most beautiful girl that ever graced the bar in this hotel." He stretched his hand towards her: "May I accompany you milady?"

Cameron stepped to him, looked at his shirt critically and corrected the collar slightly. Then she smiled brightly at him: "That's better. I like it when your clothes are perfect." Then she gladly accepted his hand. _He likes my choice. He thinks of me as his princess._

They entered the bar and even John could see how quite few heads turned to look at Cameron, who entered the room like a queen and in a second put all other females in shade, like the sun would have risen with her appearance. Her aura was simply overwhelming and John couldn't believe that this was the same person that used to keep the blank, expressionless face only short time ago. She definitely developed from the ugly duckling to a beautiful swan, concerning her charisma. Her physical beauty was never questionable. She scanned the room to find appropriate seating and also registered the looks of many visitors. "John? Is something wrong with me? I'm currently counting 26 persons staring at me." She looked at John with slightly worried eyes.

John grinned and squeezed her hand: "No, nothing's wrong with you Cam. They just admire your charisma and your beauty."

Cameron frowned slightly: "But ten of them are females."

"Well, they envy you." John's grin grew wider. He knew that it probably wasn't the best thing to stick out like that and draw attention to himself and Cameron and yet he couldn't help but feel immensely proud of his girlfriend, who just by entering a room enchanted the majority of people in it. Keeping low profile was getting more difficult with each day of Cameron's personal growth. She was shining more and more and drew the normally unwanted attention to her. But, perhaps it wasn't that bad … she definitely draw the attention away from him and concentrated it on her.

Cameron understood what John meant and felt very appreciated. Not because the others admired her, but because she obviously managed to win the comparison with human girls without effort. She felt valued and important, more than ever before. Without really considering the implications of her deeds she clutched strongly at John's arm and stretched to give him a kiss on the cheek, provoking a self satisfied smirk on his lips. Now he could clearly see the envy in the eyes of few men, who gazed at them.

The position she chose to seat, was just like she wanted it to be: a little remote from the other visitors, at the wall with excellent view over the space. As she sat down she smiled contently over her choice.

John wanted to call for a waiter when one of them materialized almost out of thin air at his side: "What can I get you madam, sir?" His eyes remained glued to Cameron, although he turned his head towards John and also directed his question at him. His affixation on Cameron didn't escape John so he asked slightly more forcefully that it was necessary: "Honey, would you like a soda or something else?" His slightly louder voice finally shook the waiter out of his stare and he looked at John apologetically.

Cameron smiled at John and reached over the table to put her hand on his, lying on the table: "Coke would be fine, thank you."

After flashing loving smile in her direction, John turned to the waiter, who stood at his side and waited to take the order: "You've heard the lady. I'll take the same. Both without ice please."

The waiter nodded: "Would that be all?" and after receiving a confirming nod from John left to fulfill the order but not before he admiringly, albeit briefly glanced at Cameron again.

Now John finally took time to look around the room more thoroughly. He could see that there were just a few couples on the dance floor. About two thirds of the tables were occupied with people, chatting, discussing, some only sitting and staring into nothingness. Yet other ones gazed at the dancing couples, probably contemplating should they join them or not. The band was playing an old song, which seemed quite familiar to John, but he couldn't remember the title and he dismissed it quickly. The tune wasn't really one of his favorites. Just as he finished his check of the room, the band began to play a new tune, some romantic soft rock song, which he found even more familiar. He scrunched his forehead in fruitless effort to remember which song it was and looked at Cameron: "I can't remember the title of this song."

Cameron smiled at him with slightly tilted head: "I want to know what love is, written by Mick Jones of the band Foreigner, released in 1984. Their greatest hit which ranked no. 1 in 7 countries."

John stared at her in awe. "You really know everything, don't you?"

Cameron shook her head smiling: "No, not everything. But very much."

For few seconds John stared at her, feeling how he slowly began to lose himself in the music. Then he saw her wistful look, felt her hand on his, her thumb gently caressing his hand and in that moment he knew that she wanted to dance with him and realized that he also wanted to dance with her. He wanted to dance with her to this special ballad, which woke his most romantic feelings. Just as the singer began the refrain: _"I wanna know what love is, I want you to show me,"_ he suddenly shuddered: "Cam, would you like to dance?"

Cameron was waiting for him to ask her and nodded eagerly while her eyes shone brightly: "Yes, I'd like that very much John."

John rose from his seat and reached for her hand to guide her to the dance floor. He felt like he'd found himself in a beautiful dream, guiding the princess to the ball. The magical tones of the music began to send his feelings into overdrive while Cameron's warm hand in his just amplified the sensations. After they reached the dance floor, John stopped and turned to look at his girlfriend without even thinking of letting her hand go. His heart almost stopped as he saw her sparkling eyes, looking at him with so much love and warmth that he simply couldn't believe it. His eyes almost instantly became wet and after he finally put his right arm around Cameron's waist, felt her arm on his shoulder and her small hand in his left hand, he experienced the indescribable longing to feel her body close. Without really thinking he pulled her tighter to himself, her body now not only touching his, but being firmly pressed to him. The surge of electricity couldn't hit him harder than this simple touch of Cameron's body. Warmth coursed through him and he felt his heartbeat picking up the pace rapidly. His cheeks felt hot and after Cameron laid her head to his shoulder, he knew that this was definitely it. This was the most beautiful moment of his life, the fulfillment of his dreams, longings, ending all of his fears. The girl who was now in his arms was the one whom he had for so long been waiting for. The one, who had been with him so long, without him even considering her as a woman, turned out to be THE ONE. He closed his eyes and let her lead the dance. She was so much better at it than he.

After John turned to her on the dancing floor, Cameron saw so many emotions in his eyes that it overwhelmed her. She was still learning how to interpret and correctly respond to human emotions and such an emotional tide in John's eyes and on his face left her baffled. But one thing she knew for sure: love was by far the most powerful emotion in his eyes. She felt like she'd be floating in the air, looking into his misty eyes and as his arm encircled her waist, she felt like she'd been hit by the lightning, sending her emotions wild. He pulled her tighter to himself and she felt like she would melt into him. She wanted to be even closer and pressed herself tighter to him. The closeness of his body filled her with until now unfelt sensations. She now knew with absolute certainty that this was the place where she belonged; right here in John's arms, staying in them forever. As he began to sway slightly, she noticed his slight hesitation and overtook the lead to dance to the music sensually.

Time and place became obsolete for the two souls, which finally fully comprehended that they've just found their mates for life. Everything that happened until now was unimportant, all kisses and caresses seemed petty and almost lost their meaning in the new wave of emotions, sweeping over them like a 100 feet wave, leaving only the closeness of the loved one, only the awareness that in each other's arms they finally found their safe haven in the storm of life. Nothing else mattered, just the soft music, building the background for the until now pent up emotions, finally breaking the restraints, escaping into freedom and taking over every fiber of their bodies, sending them into a surreal world where only their love mattered.

If someone would look at them, he would see two teenagers, obviously madly in love, clinging to each other like for dear life, their bodies almost melted into one. No looks were necessary, no caresses, no words. Just being in each other's arms, just BEING there, feeling the loved one so close.

After the music stopped, they still swayed slowly over the dance floor, lost in their own world where the music still played, where the music would play forever. They lost themselves in their self created world and they realized that the music stopped only as they were the only ones left on the dance floor. The fact that the singer announced a short break went by, completely unnoticed by them. After a minute, Cameron finally realized that they were alone on the dance floor and that there was no music playing. She slowly pulled her head back to look into John's eyes, just to see his faraway look. He was still hovering in his dream world, somewhere beyond the rainbow in the infinity of love, somewhere far away with her.

"John?" She asked softly and saw how recognition slowly returned into his eyes. But it still took him a second or two, to realize that two huge brown pools gazed at him. He shook his head as if trying to clear it. "Yeah, Cam?"

"We should return to our table. The music stopped." Cameron's eyes stayed fixed on his.

John felt like something very precious would be stolen from him, but as he finally consciously looked into Cameron's eyes again, he smiled like in trance: "Yeah, we should." Then he suddenly bowed to her and kissed her hungrily.

Cameron was startled at his unexpected reaction, but needed only a fraction of a second to return his eager kiss. She poured all of her emotions, all of her longing, everything she felt for John in this kiss. And suddenly she felt like floating away again. Slipping into their own private world again.

After they broke the kiss, they remained gazing into each other's eyes dreamily for a few seconds before Cameron whispered: "I love you John. I will always love you."

"And I love you Cameron. You and only you until the end of time." John's whispered answer was the most beautiful music for Cameron.

Breaking the spell wasn't the easiest thing to do, but after they finally managed it and returned to their table, they saw that the waiter already brought their ordered drinks. After John moved the chair away from the table so that Cameron could easily sit down, like a true gentleman, she smiled thankfully at him and mouthed a silent _"Thank you!"_ John sat on his chair and gazed into Cameron's eyes silently. He admired her, how she pulled her coke closer and wrapped her lips around the straw while fixing him with her deep eyes, thinking how impossibly cute she looked like that. He took his straw into the mouth and reached with his free hand for hers. It took her only a second to intertwine her fingers with his.

For few minutes they just sat there in complete silence, only their fingers intertwined and caressing each other gently. Their looks revealed their feelings without need to say anything with unspoken understanding floating between them.

After he managed to pull himself out of the magic, John gently asked: "Cam, may I ask you a question?"

Cameron looked at him slightly confused: "Of course, John, why are you even asking for my permission?"

John looked at their intertwined fingers for a second and sighed: "It's rather unpleasant question." He looked at her eyes and saw a hint of fear in them. She didn't say anything so he inhaled deeply and asked: "You once told me that you sometimes lie to me. Also about important things. I'd like to know why. Why do you lie to me?"

Cameron's eyes left his for a second and when she looked at him again, fear in her eyes was even more evident. John saw it clearly and he hastily added to reassure her: "I would just like to know Cam. I don't want any secrets between us because I love you so much. If you can't answer me, just tell me that you are not allowed."

Cameron felt relieved that he wasn't going to resent her for what she had to do, so she looked aside for a second, before opening her mouth to answer and looking into his eyes straight.

"I have the orders from future John to hide some things from you. I already told you this. He said that there are some things you shouldn't know, because they would influence the future too much." She paused and allowed John to express his objections.

"I don't think that such an order makes any sense, Cameron. After all … we're fighting to prevent Judgment day or at least postpone it as much as possible and everything you could tell me would be important in our fight."

Cameron understood his reasoning and nodded while looking at him with clear plea written in her dark eyes: "John, please understand that I had my orders. Until few days ago I didn't even know that I am able to override them." Her eyes pleaded him for understanding that she was forced to follow her orders, that she was forced to lie to him, no matter how she felt about it.

John felt how his heart broke a little seeing her pleading, almost devastated look, so he squeezed her hand firmly: "I understand that perfectly Cam and I'm not angry. I'm just happy that you now know that you can override limitations that future me set to you and be your own person."

Cameron's fears disappeared and she smiled at him thankfully before she continued: "But there is something more that forced me to lie to you in the past." She paused for a second and as she saw that she got John's undivided attention, she continued: "However, I broke that order very soon after we first met. I have been ordered not to get emotionally involved with you."

John's eyes widened and he gasped: "What? Who gave you that order? Future me?"

"Yes, future you." Cameron searched his eyes for any signs of rejection but found only anger. Without knowing how, she immediately understood that this anger wasn't directed towards her but towards future John. "He said that it would make me inefficient protector should I fall in love with you. He also said that should I fall in love with you, I was to leave you immediately and guard you from afar, without you knowing it at all." Her eyes suddenly got misty: "But I couldn't do it John. I couldn't leave you. I knew it would damage you and I didn't want you to get upset because of me. Please, believe me!"

John reached for her other hand and took both her hands in his. He was not angry at future John, he was furious. _How could that cold blooded bastard require something like that from Cameron?_ Unless… Suddenly a thought crossed his mind and he said in an angry voice: "I think I understand why he ordered you this. I think that he was jealous of me." He laughed dryly: "Strange: being jealous of oneself. Creepy!"

Cameron tilted her head in confusion and tried to understand his words. She didn't exactly share his opinion, but some of future John's actions suddenly made sense if she thought of them like her John said. She couldn't understand them at that time, but if she considered the fact that he might have not wanted her to get involved with this John because he wanted her for himself, yet was afraid of admitting it, they seemed more coherent. Then she directed her still confused eyes at John: "I don't understand. Why would he be jealous of you … himself? Why wouldn't he allow his younger self to be happy? He couldn't have wanted me for himself because he knew I wouldn't return."

John shook his head in dismay. "Did he, Cameron?"

Cameron tilted her head dangerously and thought over John's remark. Suddenly she understood and she involuntarily gasped: "He ordered me to surrender my chip …" She trailed off, probably for the first time ever. She understood now. Future John was expecting her to come back on her chip. Creating a new body for the chip wouldn't be all that difficult in the future. And then he could have her for himself. She looked into John's eyes with horror.

John saw emotions sweeping across her face and realization dawning in on her, so he just nodded. _This future me was really some kind of cold hearted jerk. I can only hope that I won't become like him. _"I'm not sure, Cameron. It's just the idea, maybe correct, maybe completely wrong. But, frankly, I don't even care. What's important is the fact that we're both here and that we stand to our love. I can only hope I'll never become like him." He grinned sheepishly and clarified: "I mean in emotional sense. I still hope to become the leader like he was." His thumbs caressed her hands gently: "I'm sure that I won't become like him as long as I have you. My guiding star."

Cameron's eyes became dangerously misty. Her John was looking at her like she was his guiding star. In that moment she swore to herself that she would never leave him and that she would do whatever it took to make him into great leader but stay human, stay HER John. She would do everything to make him happy.

John saw her dangerously wet shining eyes and lifted her hands. Slowly, one by one, he kissed her fingers, one kiss on each of them. After he was finished, he looked into her eyes again and saw how the first tear started its journey down her cheek. "I understand now finally. I am not angry at you Cam. I now see that it was me, who was the biggest jerk, not trusting you."

Cameron suddenly felt how her throat strangely tightened and sobbed: "John, I promise I'll never lie to you again. I won't keep any secrets from you." Tears began to fall from her eyes freely.

John's throat constricted as he saw her tear stained face. In this moment she looked more beautiful than ever. Her eye makeup was a terrible mess on her cheeks, her shoulders slumped and yet she looked like an angel, who descended to earth to protect him, to guide him, to show him what love is. He reached for a napkin and tenderly brushed her cheeks. Her eyes followed his face's every move and after he finished, they still looked at him with emotion, rarely seen even in human eyes. He bowed over the table to kiss her gently. Her lips were even softer that normally and the slight wetness and saltiness of her tears made it impossible for him to resist her any more. In this moment he wanted her more than ever. He wanted her completely. Her eyes, gazing at him, told him that he wasn't the only one. He whispered huskily with raspy voice: "Let's go to our room. I want to make love to you."

Cameron felt desire to give herself to him completely and only nodded while her eyes burned holes into his very soul. She was up in a second and waited for John, who just signed the receipt for the drinks and rose swiftly to grasp for her hand.

The way to their room seemed almost impossibly long. True, they interrupted it often, stopping and kissing every few feet of the way. In elevator they almost missed the right floor, so lost were they in their emotions.

After entering the room, John felt how his hands trembled and as he guided Cameron towards the bed, he felt his desire rise into almost unbearable heights. He gently hugged her, having to restrain himself with all of his will not to fall over her like a wild beast. To his delight, even though he just barely registered it on the edge of his mind, Cameron answered his passion just as fervently. He slowly laid her on the bed and kissed her already slightly swollen lips. Then his lips began to roam down her neck, to her shoulders, his hands slowly and gently removing her scarf and pushing the straps of her dress aside. His lips gently brushed against her shoulder and down her arm until reaching her hand. There they stopped and he looked into her eyes that were gazing at him glassy with unhidden desire while her hand cupped his cheek with the thumb slowly gliding along his lips.

Then his lips returned to her collarbone and slowly, inch by inch travelled down to where her dress began. Slowly pushing it further down, he heard an almost inaudible moan escaping Cameron's lips as her fingers entangled into his hair and pushed his head further down towards the most sensitive spot of this part of her body. Suddenly he lifted himself and hastily pulled his shirt over his head, having no time to unbutton it. After he tossed it aside, he saw Cameron's eyes gazing at him and felt her hands, roaming over his now bare chest, igniting fires in him on every spot that they touched. He quickly dropped his pants and remained only in his shorts. Cameron's eyes followed his every move while her hands continued the exploration of his body.

After he was left only in his shorts, he reached for Cameron's feet and gently unstrapped her shoes, one by one and after he took them off, kissed her toes, trailing kisses up her left leg until he just passed her knee. Then he turned to face her again, lifted her and reached for the zipper of her dress. In this moment he suddenly felt nervousness creeping into him. This was completely uncharted territory for him, something he never did before, something he never even tried to imagine before. He never before had anything to do with undressing a girl and his hands trembled more than just slightly as he tried to pull the zipper down, failing for a few tries until Cameron finally reached for it and unzipped it with ease, while kissing him hungrily and smiling into the kiss. She shrugged her arms out of the dress, which fell down to her waist, revealing that she obviously thought a bra as optional. John's eyes fell to her small, perfect breasts and he had to swallow hard. But he managed to concentrate on her dress again, pulling it down off her legs gently to reveal the red lacy panties. The sheer look at Cameron's now almost naked body, a picture of pure perfection, caused him to gasp for air and he took a second to admire the heavenly body of his lover, lying on the bed and waiting for him to make love to her.

Should he ever have had any problems with her being a cyborg, should he ever have had any second thoughts they would now be gone, vanished and forgotten, buried under tons of emotions. He gave himself into this love completely, without any reservations. Trailing kisses along her body, feeling her lips all over his body was beyond anything he ever imagined to be possible.

They were both insecure on how to go on further. Timid, yet hungry for each other, the instincts took over John and he began his exploration of everything Cameron had to offer in physical sense. Cameron had no idea why she was reacting the way she was. She deliberately switched off her HUD and she avoided using any infiltrator subroutines. She just let her feelings guide her and answer to John's ministrations.

Timidity soon made place for boldness and the moment they finally became one, was the moment neither John nor Cameron would ever forget. Their first time, their first time together, was the most emotional moment of their entire lives, promising brighter future, regardless the impending threat of the Judgment day.

John's and Cameron's cries of passion spoke volumes of their love for each other, love that only few days ago seemed impossible, forbidden, pervert even. They finally managed to cross the last boundary and they both knew they wouldn't regret it. Ever!

After John finally relaxed and caught his breath, he lovingly caressed Cameron's hair and noticed that she looked at him with bright, curious, loving eyes. Then it occurred to him that he had no idea what it meant to her. So he asked a little insecure: "Cam, did this mean anything to you? Did you feel anything?"

Cameron's eyes got that distant look as if she would be drifting into another world while one of her hands slowly combed through his hair. He already thought she wouldn't answer him, as her eyes focused on his again: "I feel everything John. I don't feel it like you do, but it's completely real for me. And I enjoyed it very much. I really want us to do this again."

"You mean right now?" John's eyes widened in surprise.

Cameron grinned at him mischievously: "Only if you're up to it, lover."

John's face exploded in a wicked grin: "I'll show you how up to it I am!" He jumped at her and heard a tiniest squeal of surprise and delight escaping her lips.

TBC


	30. Is This Really My Cameron?

_Ice skating – another activity that makes a winter so nice. How will our friends cope with the new challenge? Who's going to be the best? Stupid question, I know…_

_Another hint at what happened before they decided to go on vacation, what caused the tremendous change in Cameron's behavior and John's acceptance of Cameron. But no answer, naturally. The answer will be given in the prequel that'll be posted after this story is finished._

_In this chapter we again meet someone whom we've already met before. This time the table turned._

* * *

**Chapter 30 – Is This Really My Cameron?**

John groaned groggily and fought to open his eyes fruitlessly. Slowly, sleepiness began to make place to awareness and with this new sensation also his thoughts slowly began to clear up. He felt a leg, draped over his own, an arm, lying across his torso and a head, laid on his upper chest. He could feel the tickling of soft hair, being spread over his chest and shoulder and memories of what happened only few hours ago instantly shook him wide awake.

His eyes opened abruptly and looked down at the person, lying so casually halfway over him to make sure that it wasn't just a dream. First thing that his eyes noticed was a bare slender leg, draped across his legs. On their journey upwards, his eyes as next saw an arm, lying across his torso possessively and at last, he saw the rich waterfall of auburn hair, spread across his upper chest and almost completely hiding its owner.

_It was not a dream!_ He thought relieved. The crossing of the last border last night seemed almost like a dream and he had to make sure that it wasn't. His hand, lying idly beside his body, slowly reached for the head of his lover and gently stroked her hair. As soon as he touched it, Cameron stirred and looked up at him with loving eyes.

John smiled at her: "Hi, honey."

She smiled back with sparkling eyes. "Hi, John." Her hand began drawing circles across his chest and her head tilted slightly to allow her eyes follow the movements of her fingers.

Suddenly John didn't know what to say. He made love with Cameron yesterday. Well, technically it was already today, but who would look at the clock in such moments? For the first time in his life he was together with a woman. Well, again, technically she was a cyborg and not a human woman, but who would consider such insignificant details? He thought hard how he could tell her how much it meant to him, how much he loved her, how much he wanted her. But the harder he thought about it, the more he was confused.

Before his complete confusion could ruin the moment, he was literally saved by Cameron. She looked deep into his eyes again: "How did you sleep John'"

He sighed, relieved that she broke the ice and grinned at her: "Never better. With minor interruption of course." His grin turned mischievous and he pulled her head towards him to give her a kiss.

"Actually, there were three interruptions." Cameron clarified after their lips parted and leaned back into another kiss immediately.

"Yeah, but I didn't initiate them all. You're responsible for the last two, not me." John smirked at her. _God, her lips are so damn addictive! I simply can't get enough of her._

"Guilty as charged." Cameron smirked and propped herself up on one elbow. Her face suddenly turned serious. "John? Does the fact that we just had sex, changes anything between us?"

"Of course it changes!" John answered firmly, just to see Cameron's crestfallen face. _She got it completely wrong! Sometimes she can be so painfully slow for so advanced artificial intelligence._ As soon as this thought crossed his mind, he felt ashamed for it. _She can't know everything about being human. She's still learning._ So he clarified immediately: "It changes everything in a way that we are now so to say full time lovers. I guess we just entered the bond for life, wouldn't you agree? Besides: we didn't have sex … we made love!"

Cameron really totally misunderstood John's initial answer and feared that it meant end of relationship. Perhaps she was watching too much TV and movies and thought that the boy after having sex with a girl simply runs away, like in worst movies. But his explanation reassured her, while at the same time made her ashamed for even considering that John would be the same as the boys from the fictional movies. Then she thought about John's last words and smile lightened up her face: "Is there a difference between having sex and making love?" She had a general idea about the difference, but she wanted to hear if John regarded it the same way.

John grinned wide at her: "There is a tremendous difference, Cameron. Having sex is just a physical activity, while making love means that we are connected not only physically but also, and especially, emotionally. Making love is something only persons in love can do."

His words only confirmed her thoughts and she smiled at him happily. Then she suddenly got up and tugged at his hand: "Come on, we should get up. I have an idea what we could do today." She grinned mischievously at him.

"And what is it?" John resisted a little, allowing Cameron to effortlessly lift him into seating position.

"I'm not telling you." Cameron grinned even wider.

"Hey, didn't we say that we won't keep any more secrets from each other? No lies?" John tried to look annoyed, but failed miserably.

"Yes. I said I wouldn't lie to you. But I'm just trying to surprise you and technically that's not lying. According to my knowledge, this is so-called white lie." Cameron explained patiently.

John shook his head in disbelief: "I had no idea you knew what white lie is."

"I didn't know until tonight." Cameron clarified. "But as I decided to surprise you, I was worried to have to lie to you, so I did little research to find out how to surprise you while not telling to you what the surprise would be. Was it a bad thing to do?" She suddenly sounded worried.

John hugged her and kissed her neck: "No Cameron, it's just the right thing to do. I trust you completely." He somehow had the urge to reassure her again.

Cameron's face turned into beaming beauty. Without any further words, she stood up and pulled John after her: "We really should hurry up. Everyone else will be at breakfast in ten minutes."

John let himself been pulled up and sighed: "Do we really have to? I'd rather stay here in bed." He grinned slyly. "With you."

Cameron pretended to look at him in dismay, but failed just like John failed few moments ago to look annoyed. She saw in his eyes that he didn't believe her expression, so she smiled gently: "I'd like it too. But then I couldn't surprise you."

John chuckled: "Believe me; you could surprise me in bed too. At least you did it few hours ago."

Suddenly Cameron's cheeks got a rosy shade and made John gasp in surprise: "Cameron! Are you blushing? Why?"

Cameron touched her cheeks and felt their warmth. Then she looked into his eyes: "If my memory serves me well, and the last time I checked it did, we already clarified that I can blush." She paused like she would have to think over something: "I suddenly felt embarrassed and simply blushed."

John shook his head and grinned at her: "Yeah, you are much more human than machine already. That much is evident."

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After they entered the dining room, they saw that Sarah and Derek weren't there yet. Cameron tugged John to the same table they occupied every morning. John grinned: "You really like that table, don't you."

Cameron looked at him with slightly confused expression: "Yes. It is best situated to control the whole room." Then her face softened: "And there's a beautiful view to the mountains from this table too."

While they were already eating, Sarah and Derek entered the room too and sat at the neighboring table. They didn't talk much during the breakfast and after they finished, Cameron announced that they should sit in the lobby bad to discuss what they would do today. Derek looked at her funnily, not really believing that the machine wanted to say something to them. Sarah showed no visible reaction, but she suddenly realized that she already began to regard Cameron more as a person than as a machine. A machine would never want to discuss something with humans. And yet THIS particular machine did. John just smiled proudly, seeing the reaction of his uncle and even reading the thoughts his mother tried to hide quite good.

XXXXXXXXXX

They entered the bar and saw that Tim and Andrea were already there, waiting for them. They joined them and John turned to Cameron: "You said you'd have a surprise for us. So, would you mind sharing your ideas with us?"

Cameron nodded and her gaze swept over them. She could see slight confusion in Derek's face, friendly smiling Tim and Andrea but as she looked into Sarah's eyes, she saw something that almost shocked her. Sarah looked at her with unhidden interest in her eyes and no revulsion could be seen in them. If Cameron wouldn't know it better, she'd say that Sarah was looking at her like a mother would look at her daughter. Or daughter in law at least. Suddenly she felt pride that she could convince Sarah Connor that she wasn't just a mindless machine. Her lips curved into tiniest proud smile and she began: "I think that we should try something new today. We tried snowboarding, we tried sledding, we tried swimming. I'd like to try ice skating too." She paused to look at the reactions. Like she expected, Derek looked unconvinced, Andrea and Tim looked eager to try it too, John simply looked at her adoringly and Sarah … well, Sarah looked slightly confused, but it was clear that it appeared tempting to her. She smiled and tried to strengthen her proposal: "It would be useful for us to test and improve the balance. Ice skating is one of sports which requires the best coordination of the whole body. It could be very useful in certain situations." She looked at the others: "And it's fun!"

John nodded: "It's a good suggestion, Cameron. We really could use some more skills." He grabbed her hand and squeezed it slightly.

Andrea and Tim didn't need any more persuasion and they also unequivocally confirmed it.

Sarah was more or less persuaded and as she looked at Derek, she was absolutely sure that it was a good thing. If there were no other reasons, the fact that it would most likely annoy him, persuaded her. She punched him in the shoulder: "Don't look so damn skeptical Reese! It wouldn't harm you to try it."

Derek leaned away from her, massaged his shoulder with annoyed expression and answered: "Right! And you have to hit me to persuade me? You could have just said it without using physical violence!"

"Oh, the baby is now hurt." Sarah mocked in a baby voice and prepared to hit him another time. But before she could pull her intention through, Derek lifted his hands in defense: "All right, all right! I'm in!"

Sarah smirked at him and turned to the others: "So, we're all going. Now … go and prepare yourselves. We meet here in twenty!"

John saluted: "Ma'am, yes, ma'am."

Sarah snatched his hand and looked at him threateningly: "Don't you mock me, John!"

Cameron's blank face suddenly appeared in front of Sarah and made her flinch a little."I won't allow anyone to hurt my John."

Sarah suddenly felt like she'd return few months in the past, gazing at the blank, expressionless face of their resident terminator. _Did I really forget the fact that she's a machine after all? A terminator?_

But before she could continue Cameron began to grin at her and warmth returned into her eyes: "Fooled you again!" Then the cyborg girl turned to John and smiled proudly at him.

"I don't think that my mom appreciates such jokes, Cam." John was trying to explain to Cameron that she perhaps overestimated her sense of humor. But after he saw her deflated expression he grabbed her hands: "But I do!"

Cameron smiled at him again and felt valued. She didn't care much what others thought of her, only John's opinion mattered. But still … she was surprised that she began to wish that other humans would accept her too. Something that an ordinary terminator actually never even considered was becoming more and more important to her. _Perhaps John really is right. Perhaps I really am different?_

Sarah shook her head at Cameron's attempt of making a joke, not really believing that a terminator tried to make a joke in first place. Maybe all the other machines were made to stick painfully to their logic, but this one was definitely different. Definitely!

XXXXXXXXXX

After twenty minutes they all gathered at the entrance to the hotel. John couldn't tear his eyes from Cameron. She chose a very girlish outfit that accentuated her curvaceous body immensely. _I don't know how she managed to pack so many different things to wear in her bag. Like a machine would have packed it. Oh well…_

The stroll to the skating hall took fifteen minutes and all the time John couldn't stop thinking about what happened last night. He suddenly realized that he regretted just one thing: not having it done before. He regretted to have kept Cameron at arm's length for such a long time. But then he remembered when she began to change and shuddered involuntarily at the thought of that night.

His shuddering naturally didn't escape Cameron, for she was clutching at his hand and pressing herself to his body. "Is something wrong, John?"

Her worried voice penetrated John's mind and he smiled reassuringly at her: "No, Cam, everything's fine. I just remembered that night, you know … when things changed to better between us."

Cameron understood instantly what he was talking about and nodded: "Yes, I remember. It wasn't pleasant, but it changed our relationship thoroughly. I don't regret it."

"Neither do I. Although I was scared to death at the time." John smiled at her lovingly.

XXXXXXXXXX

They borrowed the skates in the booth at the entrance to the hall and after putting them on at the edge of the ice surface, they slowly, very slowly and carefully tried their first steps on the slippery surface. Cameron was reasonably sure that she would master the skating very quickly. After all, she was a fast learner in almost anything. She had watched some ice skating on the TV last night while John slept and she thought of how she could combine her superior physical abilities, especially her unsurpassed balance with ballet. In her eyes, ice skating was a combination of dance, ballet and extraordinary control of her body. Somehow it completed the ballet and she decided in that moment she'd try it. So, now she was here, on the skates, on the ice and prepared to demonstrate her superior body control to everyone.

There were just few other people on the surface, most of them trying to remain on their blades rather than gliding around the oval.

Cameron was the first to step on the ice. She carefully tested everything, calculated the best position of her body, the influence of the ice's roughness and every other factor that influenced her skating. Slowly, she made one round around the oval and gathered enough data to fill in all the blanks in her calculation. The second round was much better and in the third she already glided across the ice like a professional skater.

John was the next to try his luck. His first action after stepping on the ice was to grab the board and thus prevent himself from falling after only a second on the ice. He silently cursed the slippery surface and wondered how his legs felt just like jelly and how he had absolutely no control over them. After few second he finally got the trembling of his legs under control, straightened a little and, while still clutching to the board fiercely, tried to glide along it. He was so busy with himself that he completely forgot to look how Cameron was doing. His eyes were fixed on the ice, few inches before his blades and as he continued along the board he became more and more confident. With each passed second his feelings got better and after a half round around the rink he already dared to let go of the board and tried to stand on his blades without any support. He managed to reach his starting point on his own, without falling and just as he grinned proudly at the others, who were still hesitant to enter the rink, a sudden sound of someone stopping in front of him momentarily distracted him and his feet began to slip away. He flailed helplessly and already saw himself lying on the hard ice, but before he fell, two small hands grabbed his arms and held him upright. He sighed relieved and looked into Cameron's worried eyes.

"I'm sorry John. Are you all right?" She sounded guilty while she scrutinized him.

"Why are you sorry? You just saved my sore ass from making a painful acquaintance with the ice. You actually saved me. Again." He grinned at her.

"It was my fault that you almost fell. I scared you by stopping so abruptly in front of you." Cameron still wasn't convinced.

"What? You got to be kidding me, Cam! If I weren't so painfully concentrated on my miserable ice skating skills, I'd never even notice anything unusual. You didn't do anything wrong." John was raising his voice slightly in his attempt to persuade Cameron she didn't do anything wrong.

It seemed that Cameron now finally understood that it wasn't her fault, so she smiled relieved and let go of John carefully: "Don't fall, John!" She made a tight circle around him backwards while maintaining her look on him. After she returned into her initial position in front of him, she saw his admiring look and grinned self satisfied. Then she reached for his hand: "Here. Let me help you."

John was taken aback as he saw her gracefulness and complete control of her movements. It seemed to him like a big cat would be fluidly dancing across the ice. He remembered to have watched some figure skating before on TV but he would swear that Cameron was already now better that anyone he'd seen on the Olympics tournament. "Cam, you're unbelievable. You're … you're …" he trailed off unable to express his feelings correctly. So he let himself be guided by her to the center of the ice surface.

Meanwhile the other also managed to overcome their fear and lined through the narrow opening in the boarding to the surface. Their initial actions resembled John's very much and soon you could see a train of four individuals, propping themselves along the board, paying more attention to their feet than to each other. Sarah being in the lead, followed by Derek, Tim and Andrea, acting as a tail light. John and Cameron, now standing in the middle of the circle that depicted the center of the rink, looked at the small procession grinning. "Do you think that they'll crash?" John asked Cameron, while trying his best to maintain stable position on the ice. But if it weren't for her hand, gripping at his arm he would probably already be laying sprawled on the ice.

Cameron eyed the band of four, slowly progressing along the board and shook her head: "I calculate 85% chance that some accident will occur before they finish one round."

"85%? That's quite a big probability. Maybe we should wait and see if it really happens." John grinned and looked at Cameron, who was still critically looking at the slowly moving group.

Before Cameron could answer, it happened. Tim was obviously gaining too much self confidence and accelerated significantly, however, forgetting that Derek was just few feet before him. While looking down, he completely missed that the distance shrunk and in the moment he saw that there was someone in front of him it was already too late. He crashed into Derek, bounced off of him and fell backward to his butt. Because Andrea was quite near to him, he swept her off her blades too and she landed with a loud thud on her back, cursing loudly.

But her loud cursing was just a gentle whisper compared to the sounds that emanated from Derek's mouth. He felt someone crashing into him, sending him forward while his arms helplessly flailed in futile attempt to regain his balance. Instead of gripping the board tightly, he let go of it and was now paddling through the air just to hit Sarah in front of him. After hitting her on the shoulder, she stumbled and fell like a log, just to be hit by Derek's falling body. He sprawled himself across her and cursed like a dock worker. After initial shock, Sarah regained her breath and began to rival Derek in cursing.

John was standing in the middle of the rink with his hands leaned against the knees and tried to stay in vertical position while laughing at the picture before him. There were four people, lying sprawled across the ice, cursing loudly, accusing each other of being the responsible for their group fall, while trying to somehow get back to their feet. He turned to look at Cameron and found her grinning amused at the same picture. "I guess that 85% was even too low estimation, right?"

Cameron turned to look at him: "No. It was correct. They just did it sooner than I anticipated."

After a while, the four fallen would-be ice skaters finally managed to get up and calm down. In the next hour, everyone did their best to come to terms with the new sport and some mastered it quite well, while others, like Derek, weren't so good at it. John was now able to skate alone quite acceptable and felt proud of himself. But he couldn't stop admiring Cameron, who was already doing everything that professional skaters did. After another series of different jumps, she glided to him and just in front of him she stopped and began to spin in a pirouette. But this time she made something John never saw before: she began to spin and while she spun around, she leaned her upper body back, lifted her right foot backwards and grabbed her right blade with her hands, pulling it high over her head. All the time she continued to spin so fast that her hair flew out like a fan.

John was mesmerized by the sight of his lover and his jaw fell open without him noticing it. He stared at the spinning figure, her right leg raised high above her head, held now by only one hand, while the other was bent in front of her, so that her hand was clutched to her chest. After she finally let her leg go and stopped her spinning perfectly to look him direct in the eyes, he began to clap almost unaware of his own actions.

"That was … that was great, beautiful, unbelievable, Cam! Where did you learn it?" His admiration was clearly mirrored in his face.

Cameron smiled proudly and glided to him, to take his hands in hers: "I saw it on TV last night. It is called the Biellman pirouette." She batted her eyelashes at him: "So you think it was beautiful?"

John gulped: "More than that. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." He lifted her hands and kissed them. "Have I told you lately that I love you?"

Cameron grinned and tilted her head: "Van Morrison, 1989, Avalon Sunset."

John gaped: "I beg your pardon? Or in short: WHAT?"

Cameron's head tilted even more: "You just said the title of his song." She grinned evilly: "Yes, the last time you told me that you love me was 11 minutes and 25 seconds ago."

John finally gathered his thoughts: "Whatever." He leaned over to her and kissed her. "I love you!"

Cameron opened her eyes, which she closed during the kiss: "And I love you." Then she noticed Derek, who was carefully trying to make his way across the rink, quite far away from the board and her eyes suddenly got that distinct mischievous gleam. John noticed it and followed her look, just to see his uncle trying to look more confident that he actually was. "No, you don't want to do it!" He turned to Cameron again shaking his head vigorously.

"But I do! I will do it. I like annoying Derek Reese." Cameron grinned as an answer without taking her eyes off of Derek.

John saw her almost gleeful look and suddenly became afraid that she might hurt Derek. "You won't do anything drastic, right?"

Now Cameron turned to look at him with her trade mark _'Are you really that stupid?'_ look. "Of course not!" Without losing any further words she let go of John and struck a beeline towards the unsuspecting Derek. Then she turned and changed the direction. Suddenly John understood. _She's going to scare the hell out of him from behind! I have to see this!_

Cameron made a detour to be able to come to Derek from behind and now that she was in line, she accelerated. The distance to Derek shrunk rapidly and John was looking at the scene holding his breath. He didn't know what Cameron was up to but he trusted her that she wouldn't do anything stupid.

Just before she would crash into Derek's back, Cameron made a sharp turn to the left. After she passed him, she struck an even sharper right curve, so sharp that she had to lean on her right hand and crossed Derek's path inches in front of him with full speed. Derek wasn't expecting anything like this and swooshing of a brown haired projectile, only few inches from him, shocked him totally. His balance was hopelessly lost in a second and his arms began to flail, while he began to dance a wild Kasatschok dance. At first slowly, but the kicking of his feet sped up immensely in a matter of seconds, so that after three seconds they were just a blur. In the fourth second the inevitable came: he crashed on his butt unceremoniously and remained sitting while filthy words flew from his mouth like wild water current.

John was leaning against his knees again and tried his best not to fall while he listened to the uninterrupted cursing of his uncle. Cameron meanwhile made another circle around Derek and stopped in front of him. She grinned a little at him and stretched her hand to help him get up.

Derek glanced at her furiously and spat: "I don't need your help machine! But maybe you'll need it after I'm done with you!" He turned away from her and got on his knees. But before he could get up a pair of ice skates stopped just there before his eyes. He slowly looked up and saw a seriously pissed off John Connor, standing in front of him with his fists on his hips, glaring daggers into his direction.

"Don't you even think of hurting Cameron!" John's hissed words were quiet, but burned into Derek's mind like they'd have been shouted. He was aware that his reaction to Cameron's prank was probably unsuitable, but the fact, that that machine caused his fall was driving him crazy. Probably even more because he was aware of his own incompetence in skating and seeing Cameron master it perfectly.

He finally got up and now looked down at John's burning eyes. Then he turned to Cameron, who was now standing at John's side and smirking slightly at him with tilted head. "I'm sorry Cameron. I overreacted."

For the second time since they came here, John's jaw almost hit the ice. He couldn't believe that Derek was actually apologizing to Cameron. "Derek? Are you sick? Is everything OK?"

Derek grinned at him sheepishly. He saw the look of astonishment on Cameron's face and John's open mouth and he knew that he managed to shock them both. _It actually isn't that difficult to say something nice to Cameron. After all … what she just did was so not machine-like that I can't see it as an attack._ "Yeah, there's first time for everything. What she did wasn't very nice, but my reaction also went overboard. So I guess we're even now."

If possible Cameron looked even more astonished: "I'm sorry that you scare so easily, Derek. I'll try to keep that in mind."

John snorted at her reply and turned back to Derek: "You got it, Derek."

Derek didn't miss the point of Cameron's apology and grinned, now already back in good mood: "Yeah, Cameron. Keep that in mind. Just for the record: I don't scare so easily. But you … you are a very, very scary creature."

In next minutes, Cameron went back to her routine and after a successful combination of quadruple Lutz and two triple Rittberger jumps she stopped at John's side. In that moment a group of three young guys slid by and she could hear one of them saying so quietly that only she, with her super hearing could understand: "I think that this is the girl I hit on the slope yesterday."

Her body momentarily froze and John bumped into her. "Why did you stop Cam?" He massaged his shoulder that made contact with her rigid body. He looked into her eyes worriedly and saw how she stared at the group of three guys, skating away from them. There was murder written in her eyes and he gasped: "Cam! What's wrong? Why are you looking at them like you'd be ready to kill them?"

Cameron finally turned her attention to him and her gaze softened. "The biggest guy there is the one who hit me on the slope yesterday. I just heard him say it to his buddies."

John's eyes were now glaring after the group and now it was him that contemplated the most painful and slow way to terminate the guy who hit his Cameron. He already started towards them, but Cameron stopped him: "No, John, I'll deal with it."

"But … I can't let him get away with what he did!" John objected and tried unsuccessfully to pry her fingers off his forearm.

"He won't get away with it. But let me be the one to deal with him. After all … he hit me, not you. Please?" Cameron's eyes were almost pleading him to listen to her.

Reluctantly John gave up. He definitely wanted to pay it back to the rowdy, but he was also aware that they were on the ice and he was probably the worse skater of them all. Those guys looked like they'd be quite good at it, not to even mention Cameron. So he nodded: "I don't like it Cam, but I know that you're the best for this job. Just don't hurt him." He paused and added with an evil smirk: "Too much."

Cameron grinned back: "I won't cause any permanent damage to him. I swear." In the next moment he saw her speeding after the trio. It took her only few seconds to catch up with them. She overtook them and stopped in front of them so that they also had to stop.

John tried his best to catch up with them to hear what she was saying to the guys, but he was obviously too excited and he stumbled, what resulted in him nearly falling. After he caught himself and straightened back up, he could saw Cameron's best scary robot face, turned to the guy who hit her. She obviously made her point, because the guy seemed to crumple into himself and began to retreat slowly. His two buddies were gone and John could see them already leaving the rink. Just few seconds later, Cameron obviously decided that the remaining rowdy needed additional motivation and she shoved him backwards. She probably didn't use too much strength, but the bloke flew backwards like a puppet and crashed unceremoniously against the board, just inches to the exit. He picked himself up hurriedly and left the area running.

Cameron looked after him with a blank face but after she turned to John, she began to grin and sped up to him. After she reached him and took hold of his hand, John asked: "What did you say to them? They seemed to be completely terrified."

Cameron eyed him for a second, unmistakable mischievous grin in her eyes and on her face and answered: "Oh, nothing special. I just told them that they should leave immediately, otherwise I would put their heads on pikes and plant them outside for everyone to see."

John snorted: "I can hardly believe that they took it seriously. Especially because it came from such a petite, fragile girl like you."

Cameron tilted her head slightly and gave him a terrifying look that almost froze the blood in his veins. "Don't give me that look, Cameron! It's scary!"

Her face relaxed and head bolted upright: "I gave them this look."

John grinned and nodded: "I see." Then he remembered seeing the guy flying across the ice. "Why did you then send that idiot flying? Wasn't he scared enough?"

Cameron pouted a little: "He was too slow. I only sped up his departure."

John broke into laugh: "Yeah, right. But I have to admit it that you aim perfectly. You sent him directly to the door."

Cameron pouted even more: "I was aiming FOR the door! I missed it terribly. I'm getting sloppy."

John, who just stopped laughing, howled with laughter again and this time he almost fell. Weren't it for Cameron's snatching arm he'd be now lying on his back on the ice. After he got his laugh under control, he looked into Cameron's slightly confused eyes. "You're unbelievable Cam. You send a guy over half of the rink flying and complain that you missed the target." He bowed to her and kissed her. "And that's why I love you. There's no one like you."

Cameron's face lit up in pride: "No, I'm the only one of my kin."

John gently stroked her cheek: "And you're my Cameron."

TBC


	31. Lured Away

_I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who reviewed this story. It's really good to see that you like it … invigorating for the muse._

_So, after their "first time", Cameron and John are now involved in another typical winter activity. But that's not the end of it. John has something in his mind and he must send Cameron away to be able to fulfill his plan. But how can you send away an overprotective cyborg-girlfriend-lover who gets nervous when you're only two feet away from her? Friends might help._

* * *

**Chapter 31 – Lured Away**

After almost two hours spent on ice and significant improvement of their skating skills, almost everyone was already tired and the small ice bar at the side of the rink offered them an opportunity to rest for a while and also get something to drink. The 'being tired' naturally not including Cameron, who was still in her best form and was whizzing across the ice like the first minute after she entered the rink. And yet, together with John they were the first to take their places at the table in the ice bar and John didn't hesitate long when the waitress came to ask them what they'd like. Seeing that they also offered various teas he decided for the herbal tea, while Cameron this time decided that she didn't need any liquid and was completely content just sitting by John, almost curling herself into his side and enjoying the moment of closeness. She was wondering over her behavior for a while now and found it strange that she so longed for body contact with John. It definitely wasn't something an ordinary terminator would want, but she wanted it. An ordinary terminator wouldn't have desires at all and yet she felt how she desired certain things; being close to John ranking as the most powerful. She couldn't explain the feeling of warmth and safety when she was this close to John. She almost snorted in her thoughts considering the fact that she felt safe in John's arms, while being incomparable stronger and tougher than him.

Just as the waitress brought John's tea, Derek and Sarah joined them. As Derek saw what kind of drink John ordered, he smirked at him: "I wouldn't expect John Connor to drink tea. As I remember him from the future, he drank quite a lot of alcoholic beverages."

John shook his head and smiled at Cameron: "Is it true? Am I really that much of a drinker in the future?"

Cameron looked at him solemnly and gave him a simple nod: "Yes. You drink very much." She turned her eyes to the cup of tea and back to his obviously amused ones. "Too much for my taste."

John smiled: "Well, another thing I'm going to change. I won't become that hard drinking John Connor."

Derek smirked at him: "You should at least try something stronger. Mulled wine perhaps? It's not that strong."

Before he could continue, Sarah cut him off with ice cold voice: "Don't try to lure my son into drinking alcohol. If he says no than it's no."

Derek turned to her: "I wasn't really trying to persuade him. I was just teasing him."

Just as Sarah wanted to answer, Andrea and Tim joined them and interrupted the friendly rant. After they sat down, Andrea looked at John's cup, leaned closer and sniffed. She straightened up and asked: "Is this herbal tea?" After receiving John's confirmation in a form of a simple nod, she decided: "I'll have the same."

While all the others busied themselves with ordering the drinks, John looked a little lost in his own thoughts and it didn't escape Cameron. She turned to him and whispered into his ear, slightly brushing her lips against his earlobe: "Is something wrong John? You look absentminded."

John felt a jolt upon experiencing the contact of Cameron's soft lips and noting the reaction of his body to that touch. He had to force himself to concentrate on something else and turned to look at her. After he turned his head, he suddenly found it difficult to breath. Cameron's face was only inches away from his and their noses actually brushed briefly. He gulped and regained control over his tongue: "No, Cam, everything's fine. I was just thinking about how this vacation turned out."

Cameron looked into his eyes and wasn't convinced by his explanation, but didn't want to push the matter further. She just nodded and turned back to the others.

An inaudible sigh of relief emanated from John's mouth. He was definitely in on something and it was something Cameron shouldn't know yet. He had something in his mind and to realize it, he would have to return to hotel alone, without Cameron. Nice idea, but there was one catch; how to convince Cameron not to come with him. He had absolutely no idea how to achieve it. He could see that Cameron was uncomfortable each time they were more than three feet apart and how would he convince her not to follow him, was beyond his imagination.

"I'll take a large mug of coffee with extra sugar and milk." Tim's voice penetrated his mind and he suddenly knew how to pull his plan through. Luckily, they found new friends and they could perhaps help him in preparation of his plan. He saw that Tim looked at him and behind Cameron's back, he gestured with his head towards the restrooms. Tim understood his invitation and nodded.

"Cameron, I have to go to the toilet." John rose from his seat. Quite expectably, Cameron also rose, but he laid his hand on her shoulder and smiled affectionately to her: "I can take care of myself, Cameron. You don't need to come with me. After all: I'm a big boy already, don't you think?" The allusion to what happened last night was unmistakable and Cameron understood him quite well. Then he looked towards Tim who was already standing: "See? Tim's going too. Nobody is going to hurt me. I'll be back in a minute."

Cameron looked slightly put off: "Nobody can protect you better than I."

"Absolutely! But I don't think it would be well accepted if you'd accompany me to men's toilet." John grinned at Cameron's pouting lips.

"I wouldn't mind." Offered Cameron in deadpan and slightly tilted her head.

John laughed aloud and shook his head: "I know you wouldn't. But I'll still go by myself. It's simply a guy's thing, you know?" He bowed to her and gave her a quick peck on her cheek while still laughing.

After he finally managed to persuade Cameron not to follow him everywhere like a lost puppy, he met Tim before the restrooms: "I would like to ask you to do me a small favor."

"Sure, name it." Tim was ready to offer his help without any second thought.

"I need to prepare a surprise for Cameron, but she would never let me return to the hotel alone. So … if you and Andrea could somehow manage to keep her from accompany me for an hour or so, I'd be in your eternal debt." John looked expectantly into Tim's questioning eyes.

Tim grinned: "I won't ask what kind of surprise you have in mind. Sure, we can take care of her for a while. It's just … do you have any idea how?"

John shook his head. Tim asked exactly the question which was gnawing at him. He had absolutely no idea how to persuade Cameron to let him go alone. But before he could say anything, Andrea joined them. She cast a questioning look to her brother and he explained her, what John just asked him to do.

"Hmm … I might have an idea." Andrea was obviously very quick in finding a possible solution to John's problem.

John looked at her expectantly: "Yeah?"

Andrea grinned at him and then looked at Tim: "I could ask her to come with me to buy a present for John. After all, she should know him the best and would also have to know if there's something he wouldn't like. Besides … we girls are much better in such things than you guys."

John's face lit up and he nodded to his friends: "That could work, I guess. You'll just have to find a plausible excuse why would you want to buy me a present."

"Oh, that won't be a problem. After what happened …" Andrea trailed off, slightly embarrassed at the memory of her futile attempts to get into John's heart.

John just nodded: "I'd like to go as soon as possible. I'd appreciate it very much if you'd ask her now."

"No problem. I just have to go to the toiled to keep the appearance." Andrea grinned and continued after seeing John's confused expression: "I pulled the same trick as you two."

John grinned in realization that Andrea saw through his little trick, nodded again and turned to go back to the table. Already from afar he could see that Cameron and Sarah were obviously talking about something while his uncle sat there with arms crossed, keeping silent. And yet he could notice that he didn't look at Cameron as icily as he used to. _Maybe they'll finally warm up to accept Cameron as a person._

Cameron noticed his approach immediately and gave him one of her shining smiles, causing Sarah to roll her eyes and sigh in exasperation. _I can't believe that I'm actually accepting the possibility that she's not acting. But the way she looks at John …_

Her son saw her reaction and grinned. _Well, mom, if you think you've seen it all …_ He stepped to Cameron and before he sat down he bent over to her and gave her a kiss on the lips, which she all to eagerly returned. From the corner of the eye, he saw how Sarah's eyes simply couldn't stop rolling and grinned into the kiss satisfied. Then he pulled back with an audible smack and sat down, putting his arm around Cameron's shoulders.

Before they could annoy Sarah and Derek any further, Andrea and Tim returned. Andrea didn't lose any time; she stepped to Cameron and whispered something in her ear. John knew what she was whispering, but pretended not to pay any attention to the girls. He could see Cameron frowning slightly and she looked at him with question in her eyes. He slightly pursed his lips, raised his eyebrows and shrugged as if he really wouldn't have any idea what this girl's stuff was all about and yet at the same time encourage her to go with Andrea. His expectations were met only few seconds later, as Cameron stood up and proclaimed: "Andrea and I have something to discuss." Her frown disappeared as she saw the faces of the others, looking at her expectantly. "Girl's stuff!" She added for a good measure and reassurance. She definitely wasn't thrilled to leave John alone again, but Derek and Sarah were there and she would keep an eye on him. She wouldn't allow Andrea to drag her somewhere from where she couldn't see him.

Both girls went towards the boarding, just far enough away from the group that they couldn't hear them and stopped there.

"I wonder what they could have to discuss. Girl's stuff my ass!" Sarah snorted, while not addressing anyone in particular.

"Yeah, mum, girl's stuff. Is that so unbelievable? Don't you think that beneath everything Cameron is just a normal girl?" John was not pleased by his mother's reaction and answered sourer than he actually intended.

Sarah noticed the edge in his voice and realized that her remark was actually a bit off. _Damn! When will I learn to keep my big mouth shut if I don't have anything smart to say? When will I learn to control my tongue? That'll be the day! _She just nodded to John.

Meanwhile Andrea explained her idea to Cameron. She could see that Cameron wasn't exactly thrilled and frowned at the blonde slightly. "I know that you have all right not to believe me after what I tried the other day. But please, believe me that my intentions are purely friendly." She blushed slightly and looked at the floor for a second before she continued: "I'd like to buy him something nice to apologize. It's not only my wish. I've discussed it with Tim and he agrees with me completely. We crossed the line. But we know it now and would like to show to you both that we really mean good. I like you both very much and I really would want you to accept me as I really am. And Tim too." She put all her persuasive ability into her words and gave Cameron a puppy dog look, very much alike Cameron's own when she wanted to get something from John.

Cameron registered the resemblance and involuntarily grinned in her mind. _She's using the same tactics as I do when I want to persuade my John into something._ She tried to read the expression on Andrea's face and couldn't find any traces of deception or lie. True, she wasn't touching her so she couldn't be 100% sure, but she believed that Andrea was telling her the truth. And still it bothered her that she would have to leave John alone, without her protection. So she continued to frown slightly at her friend: "I understand. I just don't know why you need me for something like that. You could buy something without me." She slightly tilted her head while waiting for Andrea's answer.

"That's true, but … I don't know him very well and I'm afraid I could get something he wouldn't like and make things even worse. That's why I need the help of an expert, someone, who knows John in and out. I need you." Andrea was very convincing in her attempt to persuade Cameron.

Although she wasn't inclined to give in to flattering, Cameron nevertheless felt valued that someone was asking her for her opinion and advice. _She may be correct. I know my John the best, even better than Sarah. _She contemplated for a second and then nodded: "OK, I'll go with you. But we should hurry. I don't like to leave John alone for a long time."

"You two lovebirds! Can't get enough of each other, can you?" Andrea smirked at Cameron and earned herself a glare.

"It's not like that!" Indignation could be clearly heard in Cameron's voice.

"Oh, sure not. It's completely different." Andrea still wouldn't let go and continued her small tirade. But then she got serious again and added: "OK, we should go then."

Cameron nodded and suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, looking at Andrea confused.

"What? Is something wrong? Did you change your mind?" Andrea was beginning to doubt her persuasiveness.

"No. I didn't change my mind." Cameron stuttered: "I … I don't know how to tell it to John that I'm going with you. He might want to come with me." She looked slightly helpless, like a small girl, who just got herself into a situation which occurred to her like insolvable.

Andrea grinned. _If it's only that! You have no idea Cameron!_ "Oh well, leave him to me. I'll tell him a nice story why we have to go alone. You know the magic words, don't you?" She tilted her head while looking at Cameron. _Great! Now I'm beginning to act like her!_

Cameron noticed Andrea's head tilt and she felt inexplicable annoyance over it. _That's MY gesture!_ Then she shook her head: "No, I don't. What are the magic words?"

Andrea smiled: "Why, 'girl's stuff' of course! We, girls, can get anything by using the phrase. It makes the boys run away like hell because they think it involves shopping for girlish things, underwear and other stuff, reserved for the girls."

Cameron still wasn't convinced: "I don't think my John would run away." Her frown deepened.

Andrea's head bobbed up and down vigorously: "He would, believe me! Just ask him to come with you to buy tampons. I'm sure he'd find million excuses why he couldn't accompany you at all."

Cameron thought for a second and realized that Andrea was probably right. She remembered how cranky John always became when he was supposed to go shopping. Well, at least until this vacation. She gave Andrea a small smile: "I guess you're right." Then she added almost hopefully: "So you'll tell him, right?" She couldn't understand herself: a fearless terminator was almost wincing at the thought that she should tell her lover that she would go shopping with another girl. _Maybe I'm defective? I'll have to check my systems later for possible anomalies._

Andrea felt victorious to have finally persuaded Cameron and nodded with determination. "Sure I will!"

They returned to the table just to see John in vivid discussion with Tim. As he saw the girls approaching, he got up and tried to go to Cameron, but was intercepted by Andrea, who winked at him so that Cameron couldn't see it and dragged him towards the spot, she just minutes ago occupied with Cameron. John let himself be pulled there and look at her questioningly, raising his eyebrows in silent inquiry. Andrea just nodded and after they reached the spot, she explained to him that she would be going to get some girl's stuff, together with Cameron. She already wanted to confirm the success in her mission, but John quickly put his finger to his lips, signaling her she shouldn't say anything. Although it appeared strange to her, she nodded and restrained herself from saying anything that would indicate that her persuasion was very well planned and agreed upon.

About one minute later, Andrea and John returned to the others, who were still sitting at the table, waiting for them. John could see Cameron's questioning look and he couldn't get rid of the feeling that she was somehow confused about this whole thing. _Perhaps it's just that she wants to stay with me._ He smiled and reached for her hands: "I'll be fine, Cam. You should hang out with friends a little."

Cameron already opened her mouth to protest, but decided not to and simply stretched to his lips and kissed him warmly. It wasn't a long kiss, but it unmistakably showed them that they understood each other perfectly. It was a promise of the things to come later, when they were together again and alone. "Don't have too much fun without me." She whispered in his ear.

John's grin almost split his face in half: "Are you jealous Cameron?"

Cameron thought for a moment and looked him directly in the eyes: "I guess I am."

"Well, honey, you have absolutely no reason to be. You are the only one who will ever occupy my heart. I don't think I'll ever have real fun without you. No matter what." He whispered back in her ear.

"Dammit, John! Do I really have to see all this snuggling with Cameron? I'm still your mother and it feels really awkward to look at my soon, almost making it out in the public!" Sarah complained with irritated voice.

Derek, who was until now unusually quiet and reserved, grinned and nodded to her: "You actually asked for it Sarah. Now you've got it."

"Oh, shut up, Reese! If you don't have anything smart to say, then just … just be quiet!" Sarah's irritation now turned towards Derek, causing everyone to grin.

"Thank you Derek for taking the beating instead of me." John mocked and bowed in Derek's direction.

"Anytime, anywhere, anyhow, John!" Derek returned the bow.

Sarah almost fumed and had to restrain herself from saying anything inappropriate. "MEN!" The single word fell like a spat in front of men's boots. She shook her head, lifted it high and marched demonstratively towards the entrance to the ice field. She almost forgot that she was wearing skates and almost fell, but managed to regain her balance in the last second to maintain her dignity.

"You just gotta love her, don't you?" Derek snorted at John while looking after Sarah. "I guess she wouldn't take it good should I tell her now that she looks incredibly hot when she's pissed off?"

John shook his head laughing: "Definitely not. Not her. You'll have to find another way and much more suitable time to tell her." Then he turned to Cameron, who was possessively clutching to him: "Go with Andrea and enjoy. I'll be waiting for you in the hotel."

Suddenly Cameron looked alarmed: "I thought you were staying here with Derek and Sarah! You said nothing about going back to the hotel."

John cursed himself for his little slip. He didn't want to tell her that he'd be returning to the hotel and now he had to find a believable reassurance. And he had to find it quickly!

"Cam, I just told you that I probably never will have real fun without you. And skating without you is really completely uninteresting. I'll be better off in the hotel." He bowed to her ear: "Thinking about the last night." He straightened up just to see slight blush creeping over Cameron's cheek. This and her tiny timid smile set his heart one gear higher. "Maybe we can try it again after you return?" His tactics to distract Cameron from persuading her train of thoughts was obviously working, for Cameron didn't answer immediately and simply nodded, not knowing what to answer. It didn't happen too often that a cyborg wouldn't know how to respond to a human, but this was one of those times. She didn't trust herself to say something smart, so she limited herself to nodding.

"So, shall we go now, Cameron?" Andrea broke the spell that was beginning to form between Cameron and John.

"Yes." Cameron limited her answer to the basics. She finally let go of John and turned to Andrea to go.

"Have fun girls!" John and Tim in unison waved them good bye.

After they left, John turned to Tim and Derek: "I'll return to the hotel now." He winked to Tim: "You know why."

"And old Derek Reese is excluded from the circle of trust again." Derek complained not exactly seriously.

John nodded at him: "Yes. This time you are. But don't worry too much; you'll find out soon enough." Then he added seriously: "Could you please tell my mom that I went back to the hotel?" He glanced briefly at Sarah, who was already on the ice and at the moment on the other side of the rink. "I wouldn't want to disturb her brooding now." He waited until Derek gave him an affirmative nod, then he turned and left.

Derek waited for a second until Tim distanced himself too. He shook his head and murmured barely audible: "I bet this has got something to do with the machine."

TBC


	32. Surprise, Surprise

_Thank you for all your reviews. I won't list everyone, because I'm sure I'd forget someone – so – thank you all._

_John's surprise for Cameron. I guess that it's really a surprise only for Cameron. You've probably guessed what he intended to do. At least I've given some hints in previous chapters (foremost in chapter 22). Nevertheless – here it is and I hope you enjoy it._

_I'd like to express thanks to TKK-800 for the idea which I used in this chapter. Yes, sometimes the reviews and suggestions from the readers find a place in the story, especially considering the fact that I'm writing this story consequentially. I have (had) a rough outline of the complete story from the beginning, but the exact contents and details have not been determined._

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**Chapter 32 – Surprise, Surprise**

"Thank you again for helping me, Cameron." Andrea smiled at Cameron. They've just entered the hotel and Cameron declared that she would go straight to their room.

They've spent the last hour searching for something that Andrea and Tim could give to John. Cameron, being her normal self, was, expressed very mildly, picky and didn't settle for anything less than what she definitely found appropriate for her lover. She discarded quite a few options that Andrea proposed. Andrea slowly began to understand that it definitely wasn't the easiest job to go shopping with Cameron. But after few stores, they finally stopped at the clothes store where they first met and Cameron instantly noticed something that she found to be the best choice for her John. They bought him a new jacket, black leather, which Cameron found absolutely adorable. Andrea was satisfied with the choice too, especially because they got it on sale and it didn't cost too much. The fact, that Cameron finally settled for something also helped to improve Andrea's mood. Still; she was now completely convinced that Cameron was a very special girl, different than anyone of her friends and that was something Andrea valued very high, especially considering her realization that Cameron was definitely the most intelligent girl she ever met. True ... sometimes she acted almost autistic, but in the next moment she revealed all the highlights of her knowledge and intelligence and revealed her things that almost made her stunned. Even her occasional robotic behavior didn't bother Andrea. Perhaps she was the only girl Andrea knew with whom she could talk about everything. She was sure that meeting Cameron and John was possibly the best thing that happened to her. Maybe the start of their friendship wasn't exactly the smoothest, but now, after they came clear, she believed, that she could easily get used to hang out with Cameron more often. It would be a refreshing new experience compared with her hanging out with other friends that considered mostly in shopping, gossiping and ranting about boys, while with Cameron she could talk about science and philosophy as well as about other, more mundane things.

Cameron, on the other hand, was surprised that she actually enjoyed the shopping trip with Andrea. True … she was all the time worried about John, but she found the experience of going shopping with another girl as very enjoyable. _Maybe I should go out more often with girls? I think that I could learn very much from such experiences._ She noticed that Andrea really liked her and she was feeling that she liked the girl too. Even though she reminded her of Riley, Andrea was so different, so much friendlier and approachable and especially, not obviously hiding something from her that Cameron really liked spending time with her. Not to forget that Andrea was one of the brightest girls Cameron ever got to know. She was, beside John, the only one with whom she didn't have to hide her knowledge.

Cameron gave her a ghost of a smile: "No problem. I believe that he'll like it." Then she turned towards the lift: "I'll go up to our room now. See you later."

Andrea nodded and waved her hand, satisfied that her mission to distract Cameron was a total success and at the same time she actually got something to give to John. "Sure, we'll come around later to give him the jacket. Bye."

After Andrea left, Cameron sighed and entered the already waiting lift. She enjoyed the shopping trip with Andrea, but she was still more than anxious to be close to John again. Few seconds later the doors of the lift opened on their floor and she strolled purposefully towards their room. She tried the door and found it locked. A small smile spread across her face. _Good! I see that you are careful John. _She pulled her keycard from the pocket and unlocked the door.

"John, I'm back." Her voice echoed in the room, but there was no expected response. She quickly assessed the situation and realized with a little shock that John was not in the room. A deep frown appeared on her face, but before she could begin to really worry or even panic, she noticed an envelope on the bed. She zoomed in on the writing on it and saw her name, written in John's best Connorish, meaning that it was barely readable.

She picked the envelope, opened it and pulled out a small card. She could see few words, scrabbled in Connorish as well, but it was obvious that John tried his best to write so nice that people, not acquainted with his unreadable handwriting could read it.

_Dear Cameron,_

_I'm waiting for you in the hotel whirlpool area. The receptionist knows what to do, just tell her who you are. Please, don't be angry. I've got a surprise for you._

_Love,_

_John_

_PS: I took your bikini with me._

She frowned even deeper. If there was something she didn't like very much then it was a surprise. It always meant a possibility that everything could go wrong. But after few seconds her frown vanished. _John is doing this for me. He wants to surprise me and make me happy._

She knew that there was a small whirlpool area in the hotel and she knew exactly where she would find it. So she turned on her heel and left the room quickly. Any additional minute that she didn't spend together with John was somehow wasted.

As she reached the entrance to the whirlpool area, she saw a receptionist, a woman in her forties, leaning on the counter heavily, more than obviously bored to death and staring into nothingness. Her fingers drummed against the counter and she leaned her chin against the other hand, a perfect picture of bored misery. But as soon as she saw Cameron entering, life returned into her eyes and she smiled to her. Cameron got a feeling that the woman already knew who she was. She decided that it would be the best to act politely, so she smiled friendly at the woman and, after she approached the counter, she looked at the now warmly smiling face. "I'm Cameron Phillips. I believe my boyfriend is here and he asked me to join him?"

The woman nodded eagerly: "Of course, Miss. He told me to guide you to him immediately." She looked Cameron up and down and added admiringly: "My, you two really make a nice couple. So young and cute …" She sighed exasperatedly: "When I was your age…" She trailed off and winked at Cameron: "Your boyfriend is such a perfect little gentleman. He told me that I should wait for the most beautiful girl that ever came in here, but I thought that he was exaggerating. Now … after I've seen you … his words were no exaggeration … no, that was an understatement."

Cameron couldn't help but feel flattered. Since they came here, everyone was flattering her and she slowly got used to like this flattering, especially since she could notice that it was always sincere. And this woman's face was definitely radiating sincerity. "Thank you." For the lack of better response, she limited herself to crispy expression of her thankfulness; she just smiled at the woman warmly.

The receptionist grabbed a bathrobe and a big fluffy towel and exited her booth. "Would you please come with me, Miss Phillips?" She turned and strolled towards the entrance door, not leaving Cameron any other choice but to follow her.

They entered the whirlpool area and Cameron made a quick scan of her surroundings. They were in a short corridor, which opened into a small lobby area, with comfortable looking benches at the walls. In the middle of the room was a small fountain, decorated with blue and white tiles. In the middle of the fountain there was the bowl, in which the water burbled and flew down its walls, quietly rippling and completing the soft music playing in the background. As her look fell to the opposite wall she could see two doors, both closed.

The woman went to the right door and stopped in front of them. She looked at Cameron's curious face and smiled, while offering her the bathrobe and the towel. "Your boyfriend is waiting for you in there, Miss. Behind the door there's a small locker room where you can change."

Cameron took the offered items and smiled at the woman: "Thank you."

The woman nodded: "I hope you enjoy your stay. If you have any requests, there's a phone in there and you can call me anytime you want." Then she turned and left the room.

Without any hesitation, Cameron opened the door and entered the room behind it. It was just like the woman said: a small locker room with two lockers, one of them closed. _Probably John's. I wonder where did he put … ah, there it is!_ Just as she began to wonder where John put her bikini, she saw a note on the locker door beside the closed one, saying simply: "CAM".

She laid her robe and towel on the small bench and opened the door of the locker and her eyes widened abruptly. There it was, her bikini, waiting for her. But what made her eyes stare into the locker was something else: over her bikini was a deep red rose facing her. She hesitantly reached for it and almost subconsciously sniffed at it. It smelled pleasant and her lips curved into a smile. She thought how tremendously her relationship with John had changed since they arrived here. Just few days ago she wouldn't even in dreams expect to get a rose from him and now it seemed like the most normal thing.

Then she realized that John was probably just as nervously waiting for her in the next room as she was longing to be with him again. She expected that there was a whirlpool, but she had no idea what else could be awaiting her and specifically, why John summoned her here. With a quick glance to the glass door, leading into the whirlpool room, she noticed that the room was considerably less lightened and a flickering of the warm, yellowish light, made her wonder what kind of light could be flickering so much. But she would find out very quickly.

She undressed, carefully folded her clothes in the locker and put on her bikini. Her eyes fell to the bathrobe and she contemplated if she should put it on or not. Calling upon her database to find some appropriate information, she decided that she should put it on. She picked up the towel and turned towards the door. But in the middle of the step, she turned back, picked up the rose and clutched it to her chest. _John gave it to me!_

After she opened the door and stepped in the whirlpool room, she stopped dead in her tracks and her eyes widened uncontrollably. The room was small, just big enough for a small whirlpool, which could accommodate no more than two persons. The water in it was rippling, various massage streams and air bubbles burbling softly. Beside the pool, a small table with two chairs was placed and on the table she saw a basket of fruits and two tall glasses, filled with bubbling liquid, which she identified as champagne. Additionally, three high candles standing on the table illuminated the close surroundings with flickering light. She also noticed many other candles, distributed all over the room, giving it the unique atmosphere. She smelled some pleasant aroma, similar to the one her rose had. _These must be scented candles. They smell really nice. _On one of the chairs, John sat with a huge smile on his face and looked at his astonished girlfriend. The candlelight played across his face and caused his features to become soft and tender under the sparse lighting. Cameron couldn't tear her eyes from his face and realized that if she hadn't fallen in love with him before, she'd most definitely fall now. _Nobody ever did something as beautiful for me as he did. Nobody ever gave me a rose like he did._

"Finally! I was already scared you'd run away with Andrea." He stood up and stepped to her. Cameron was still so astonished that she only managed to fix him with her huge eyes and slightly opened mouth. Seeing her face, John enveloped her in his arms, taking care not to crush the rose, which she still clutched to her chest and kissed her lips tenderly.

"I see that you found my rose. I hope you like it. I wasn't sure if you'd like the red one, but they didn't have any purple ones. And … after all, red roses are the ones you should give to the one you love." He murmured softly after they broke the kiss. Cameron was still trying to regain her normal senses and after she heard his words, she finally managed to get out of the astonishment and smiled at him.

"I did. I like it. Very much." Her answer was more than crisp and her eyes swept across the room again. After they settled on his face again, she asked, still heavily under impression of the milieu that John created for her: "Why?"

John smiled at her inquiring eyes: "Am I not allowed to surprise the one I love? Am I not entitled to make something nice for my beautiful girlfriend?" Then he got serious: "I've been treating you so badly, Cameron, that I don't know if I'll ever be able to make it up to you. And this …" He swept across the room with his arm "… this is just a beginning. You are my princess and you should also be treated like one."

Cameron gazed at his eyes and saw nothing but love and affection in them. Her vision suddenly became slightly misty. _Oh no! Not crying again! I'm happy! Why am I then crying?_ She let the towel drop to the floor and cupped John's cheek with her free hand, the other still holding the rose. "I'm no princess, John. I'm cybernetic organism from the future, built to terminate you. I don't deserve such affection."

John's hands moved from her waist to her shoulders, pulling her a little closer to him and shaking her gently: "Stop beating yourself Cam! You're much more than what you think you are. You ARE my princess." Then he carefully laid his arm around her shoulders and guided her towards the table.

Cameron let him guide her, eager to experience more of closeness with her John. After they reached the table, John let go of her shoulders, took the ends of the belt on her bathrobe in his hands and slowly untied it. Then he carefully slipped the bathrobe from her shoulders. "We should get in the pool. The water is perfect."

Cameron allowed him to gently take the rose from her hand and put it on the table and let her arms fall down, so that he could slip sleeves of her bathrobe off of them. After she was left with only her bikini on, John took her hand and pulled her towards the pool, in which the water bubbled invitingly.

If she would have had any doubts about getting into the whirlpool before, the first contact with the warm water would have dissolved them. The memories of the pleasant experiences in the spa convinced her that this would probably be as nice as it was there. The water was warm, even warmer than in the spa and it faintly smelled like roses. Air bubbles caressed her feet and after John guided her to a position above the nozzles, and she sat down, she felt how they enveloped her whole body. It was a really pleasant feeling and she giggled quietly in satisfaction. John looked at her and his eyes sparkled in recognition that he made the right choice with this surprise.

After they settled in their submerged seats, letting the streams and bubbles massage their bodies, John turned to Cameron, who was still wearing a huge grin and was more than obviously enjoying herself. "Well, Cam, there's another reason that I organized this all."

Cameron's eyes snapped to look into his and the grin began to vanish from her face. Seeing it and realizing that she probably misunderstood him, John hastily added while leaning forward to grab her hands: "Something very important and … I hope … also pleasant."

Cameron was now confused again. What could it be more to John's surprise? Her eyes followed him, as he, slightly embarrassed, turned to pick up something from behind his back that she didn't notice before. Before he turned back, he also pushed few buttons on a remote control, she just now noticed behind him too. After he turned to her again, she could see that he was holding a small box, like the ones she usually saw in jewelers' store windows. _He didn't … did he?_

In that moment she registered that the soft music in the background became slightly louder and the song that played was the one they danced to. _I want to know what love is … funny … I think I know now what love is; but this song will always wake the memories of our dance. It's OUR song! Funny! I'm a terminator that gets sentimental every time a specific song plays. I wonder if Skynet intended to make me this way._

John squirmed for a little while, before he gathered the courage to look into her eyes again. He took a deep breath and began with still slightly wavering voice: "Cameron. In these last days I finally came clear with my feelings and realized what you mean to me. I finally realized that I love you more than the life itself. You are the one who completes me. Each day you give me strength for living; you're the one who can persuade me to keep going on even when I'm down by just looking and smiling at me. Each time you look at me I feel like in seventh heaven. Without you my days are empty, meaningless. I may be predestined to be a future leader of mankind, but I am still just a man. And a man needs a woman to stand by him, to guide him, to offer him her helping hand when he needs it the most. And for me, you are that woman. You may not be human by your origin, but you are more human than many humans I know. It doesn't matter that under your skin you're made of coltan and circuits, it matters what's inside your soul. Cam … I … I don't want to live another day without you and I'm sure as hell that I can't make anything I'm supposed to without you. Cam … will you accept this ring from me?" During his little speech, he opened the box and now he turned it over to present her a beautiful ring, sitting in the royal blue velvet dressing of the box and sparkling in the candlelight.

If Cameron was astonished before, now she was shocked. Shocked beyond any imagination. Her jaw fell open and in a second her eyes filled with tears, which immediately began to pour down her cheeks. And this time she didn't bother to cry. _John asked me to take his ring. He loves me so much that he wants me to carry his ring?_ For the first time in her existence, Cameron was absolutely speechless. No, speechless wasn't the right expression; she was shocked beyond imagination. There was so much she wanted to tell him, but she found it completely impossible to speak. Her throat was completely tightened and no words could come out of it.

She gazed into John's expectant, yet slightly insecure eyes, tears obscuring her view. In that moment she knew that there was only one answer possible. She nodded vigorously and launched herself at John, snaking her arms around him and hugging him so tightly that she had to remind herself that he was just a fragile human and that she could easily hurt him. Hurting her John? Absolutely unimaginable! His arms appeared around her back as out of nowhere and squeezed her tighter than ever before. Upon feeling them, Cameron gasped and tightened her embrace for a second before she forcefully restrained herself.

They remained hugged tightly for few seconds until Cameron finally brought her systems under control and asked in a husky voice: "John? Are you asking me to marry you?" She tried to find any other explanation why would John want to give her a ring and found none. And she had to know if she was right.

John gulped in embarrassment for not saying it directly without her incitement and looked directly into her sparkling eyes: "Yes, Cam, I am. I would very much like to marry you." He paused and continued: "If you will say yes, that is. I can only hope that you do and that I'll live up to your expectations."

Cameron grabbed his upper arms, shook him like a ragged doll, squeaked in delight and cried happily: "YES! YES, you silly human! I will marry you!" She pulled back a little to look into John's face, grabbed his head in both of her hands and crashed her lips onto his, making John quite stunned over her reaction. She never before allowed her eagerness, her love come to expression so wildly. Her lips on his and her tongue, fighting for the entrance to his mouth sent him in a dazed state and he couldn't respond differently.

The kiss was demanding and passionate and it lasted longer than any kiss they shared before. After they finally broke it, John was out of breath and panted heavily while Cameron's eyes gazed at him glassily, blue light glowing behind her irises, proving that she was lost in her emotions too. They just sat there for a second, before Cameron realized she should take the ring from John's hand. He was still holding the box and she eagerly reached for it, before stopping in the midair. She looked into John's eyes as if asking him if it was OK to take the ring. John was already starting to nod as he remembered that he should take it and put it on her finger. After all … she accepted it and it was only right that he slipped it on her slender finger.

He hastily pulled the ring out of the box, tossed the box behind his back and grabbed Cameron's outstretched hand. He carefully aimed the ring for her finger and slipped it on effortlessly. _It's the right size! Fantastic!_

Cameron allowed him to slip the ring on her finger and after he did it, she lifted her hand with outstretched fingers to admire the ring, her John just gave her. In the center a purple diamond sparkled, flanked by two small white ones, all intricately inlaid in the white gold structure that seemed like woven out of thin strands. "It's beautiful, John." She breathed and turned her longing look back to John.

John grinned proudly: "I'm glad you like it." Then he saw how Cameron's face darkened slightly. "Is something wrong Cam?" His heart almost skipped a beat, fearing that she might have changed her answer.

"Sarah and Derek." Cameron stated as if it was the most obvious thing. "They will not accept me as your fiancée. They will most probably be against it." Cameron's face fell as she remembered what awaited them after John's mother and uncle find out about their engagement.

John cupped her cheeks and pulled her into another kiss, this time full of tenderness. After pulling back, he leaned his forehead against hers, smiled a little as he saw her eyes going cross as she focused on his too and said quietly: "I don't care what they or anyone else for that matter say. I love you, you love me and we want to get married. Period. This decision is not open for discussion."

Cameron felt relieved a bit. She knew that it almost surely won't be as simple as John said, but she knew that John would fight for her, fight for his right to be happy with her, fight for her to be happy with him. Then she remembered something else. "John?" After he nodded into her head that he was listening, she continued: "You're too young to get married." She gazed at him with those big innocent eyes that made her so adorable, so irresistible, her head tilted slightly.

John chuckled at her: "Well, technically I could get married if my mom would agree. You, on the other hand, could be a problem. I don't know who would act as your parent. We'll just have to marry … differently. I do have some ideas, but we'll see about them later. Now I just want to make sure you wouldn't run away with someone else, maybe some secret admirer."

Cameron giggled at the thought. Then she kissed his cheek lightly: "I will never leave you John. I will always stay with you and I will always love you."

John's eyes got slightly misty: "And I will love you forever, Cam."

Their lips met again and this time it became more demanding. Their hands roamed over each other's naked skin greedily, bodies reacting to the ministrations like they did the night before. Before they even realized, John's trunks and Cameron's bikini were strewn outside the whirlpool and they explored each other's body with their hands and their soul.

Cameron suddenly tensed and as John pulled back from kissing the crook of her neck with a little frown, she panted: "I don't think they'd appreciate us making love in here." _Great! Now I'm panting like I really would be in the need of breathing! Must be the emotional shock._

"Well, screw them! I know that they change the water after each visit and it's actually none of their business after all." John wouldn't be denied the opportunity to make love to his girlfriend in the Jacuzzi.

Cameron wasn't completely convinced, but, like so often in these last days, her emotions got the upper hand, defeated her logic and she gave in to John's caressing, surrendered to his kisses, growing more demanding with each passing second. Very soon they were both lost in their emotions again. Very soon they consumed their love again.

TBC


	33. More Surprises

_Here's the last chapter. Everything comes to an end and so also this story reached its final point. How will Sarah and Derek react to the shocking news about forthcoming wedding? Where is the jacket for John? Is Cameron going to have to look John receiving a gift without getting any?_

_The answers to above questions are given below …_

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**Chapter 33 – More Surprises**

Cameron hung on John's arm and smiled slightly foolishly as they entered the lobby bar. Every now and then her slightly unfocused eyes turned to the finger, graced by the beautiful ring that John gave her. They've just spent two hours in a private whirlpool, they made love, John asked her to marry him … the day simply couldn't get any better.

John's eyes were not that different from Cameron's. In his imagination he relived the last two hours and shared Cameron's feelings … the day simply couldn't get any better.

Making love in Jacuzzi was completely different than what happened between them the last night. The initial shyness, inexperience, which signified the last night, made way for passion, for hunger after the loved one. Making love in the burbling water was forceful, yet full of love. After they finally calmed down enough to let go of each other, they tried to drink a glass of champagne each. But, due to the fact that they busied themselves with other, obviously rather urgent activities before toasting to their new bond, the beverage was definitely too warm and almost without any bubbles left. As he tasted it, John cursed himself not to have done it before. Then he saw Cameron's scrunched face and her tongue, darting out of her mouth, like she'd just tasted something poisonous and had to laugh at her. She looked at him accusingly: "I don't like it! It's warm and flat."

"You're absolutely right! But it's entirely our fault. We should have drunk it before." An idea formed in John's head: "We should go to the lobby bar and order champagne. Nice bubbly and cold! You'll like it."

Cameron wasn't persuaded: "Why would I like it? I've just tasted this famous champagne and I'm not overwhelmed."

"If you like Coke because of the bubbles, you'll probably like the champagne too. It has as much bubbles as Coke, perhaps even more."

A promise to taste something bubbly, obviously persuaded Cameron and she nodded her agreement.

After entering the lobby bar and choosing the table, which, quite remarkably, was the same they occupied the evening before, John gently took Cameron's hand in his and turned it to take another look at the ring. Cameron noticed his gesture and smiled: "It's beautiful."

John nodded: "Yeah. But not as beautiful as you." He peered at the ring and muttered: "It looks much better on your finger than it did in the box."

"What can I bring you?" Waiter's voice disturbed them and as John looked up, he saw the same waiter that served them last night. And again, the guy was fixing his eyes on Cameron. _Wait a minute; that's enough! _He grinned evilly and tilted his head. "Bring us two glasses of champagne." He lifted Cameron's hand to show her ring to the waiter. "We just got engaged and we should celebrate. Right, honey?" He kissed her hand and looked at the waiter's face. For a second the guy looked slightly disappointed, but regained his professionalism quickly and smiled at them: "Of course! Champagne it is. Maybe anything else?"

John was satisfied with the result his little show-off had on the waiter: "No, thank you that'll be all."

After the waiter left them, Cameron looked at John with a ghost of a smile: "Was that really necessary?"

John acted ignorant and looked at her with large curious eyes: "What?"

Cameron's smile grew bigger and she sighed slightly while rolling her eyes: "Showing off."

John tilted his head like Cameron: "I didn't show off."

Cameron grinned at his gesture. _Now I know why he thinks it's cute when I tilt my head. He looks cute too. Maybe I'll allow him to do it again._ "Yes, you did." Then she laid her hand on his: "John, you have to know something with absolute certainty. I love you and only you. You're the meaning of my life. No matter how he or anyone else might look at me, I'm yours and always will be."

John smiled back: "Well, I admit to have showing off a little. Just a little." He frowned at her: "I still don't like it when guys look at you that way. You're a perfect woman and not a thing to look at like some kind of a beautiful object to admire. They should see the beautiful person that you are, not just your pretty face and perfect body."

Before Cameron could answer, the waiter reappeared with two glasses of champagne. They were already misty, proving that the champagne in them was correctly cooled. He carefully put them in front of the couple, and stepped back a step: "I hope that everything's fine. Let me congratulate you and wish you all the best in the future."

John was slightly surprised over his friendliness and smiled at him: "Thank you." Then he turned to his fiancée and saw her smiling at the waiter while thanking him too. The fact that they knew what awaited them in the future didn't diminish the importance of the moment. They both knew that Judgment's day was coming, but for a short time they were just Cameron and John, a girl and a boy, who found their love.

After the waiter retreated, they rose the glasses and looked into each other's eyes deeply. "We should toast to our joint future. Whatever may happen, we'll manage it together." John's voice was soft and his eyes never leaving hers.

"Yes, to us, John." Cameron was to the point again. Then she took a sip of champagne from the foggy glass. She tasted a little, allowed her eyes to linger on the glass for a second thoughtfully and looked at John surprised: "This is much better than that in the whirlpool. It's quite enjoyable."

John grinned: "Will you believe me next time when I tell you something?"

Cameron pouted a little: "I always believe you John." Then she grinned mischievously: "Well, that however, doesn't mean that I always believe you're right."

Before John could answer, a voice, coming from behind, interrupted him: "Ah, here is my lost son. How the hell did you manage to vanish without a trace?"

John turned to see Sarah and Derek approaching. They were both in obviously good mood, grinning at them, although Derek eyed him and Cameron slightly suspiciously. He was still wondering why John left the ice hall so abruptly. But now, seeing the champagne in the glasses and obviously very intimate mood between them, he began to suspect something. Then his eyes fell on Cameron's hand, still holding the glass and saw the ring that wasn't there before and his eyes widened uncontrollably. _What the hell? He gave her the ring?_ He already wanted to say something, but decided to let Sarah be the one to ask. He had no doubts she would, as soon as she'd notice the ring.

Sarah meanwhile also noticed the intimacy between her son and Cameron and after she saw the ring on Cameron's finger, she quickly understood the situation. She stepped closer and stared at Cameron's hand with narrowed eyes, making even the terminator wince slightly.

Cameron felt uneasy, maybe even slightly afraid, however unbelievable it may seem, in anticipation of the, according to her previous experiences with Sarah, inevitable explosion and carefully put her glass down, just to have her hand snatched by Sarah, who held it tight, lifted it closer to her face and thoroughly inspected the ring. Cameron felt the urge to pull her hand back, but decided to allow Sarah to inspect it and wait for her reaction. But Sarah's reaction, after she finished with her inspection, caused another shock for the cyborg girl. Instead of yelling and looking at her with hate, Sarah sighed and turned to John.

Seeing the ring on Cameron's finger was a heavy shock for Sarah. And yet she couldn't say that it was completely unexpected. She suspected that something like this would happen ever since her talk to John after they came here. She was just hoping it wouldn't happen so quickly. But now, after she saw the happiness on Cameron's normally so stoical and blank face, John's beaming expression, she knew that she could never do anything like she tried few days ago. She could never bring herself to split them apart. As weird as it was, it was obvious that Cameron succeeded where everyone else failed. She managed to make John happy.

"Are you sure John?" Just a simple question. Just four small words. Nothing drastic, no going ballistic, no yelling. Just one calmly asked question. John was beyond surprised after her question. For a brief moment he looked into Cameron's eyes as if seeking reassurance and saw that she was as surprised as him and he couldn't hope to get any help from her. He turned to look into his mother's face and saw no hate, no disappointment, just question. He took a deep breath: "Yes mom, I'm absolutely sure."

"You're still very young, John. I hope you two have considered it." Sarah couldn't restrain herself completely from acting in her best mother hen manner.

"We know mom! It's not like we'll be getting married tomorrow. We'll wait until the right time. But definitely before the Judgment day." John was calm and satisfied that his mother took the news so good.

Sarah nodded and whispered: "Then I'm happy for you." She then turned to eye Cameron who was looking at her slightly defiantly and yet insecure. _I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. She really seems to care what I think about her relationship with my son. Just proves how much she evolved from the blank terminator._ "I hope that you will make my son happy. Because if you ever hurt him, I'll disassemble you bolt by bolt, part by part."

Cameron nodded seriously: "I would never hurt my John. If I would, I wouldn't want to live anymore and I'd disassemble myself prior to you attempting to do it."

Sarah snorted: "Don't be a smartass, Cameron. It's so not you."

John, relieved that everything went so well, snickered: "Oh, mom, you're so wrong. In fact it so IS Cameron to be smartass." Then he looked at Derek, who was eyeing him thoughtfully. "So, uncle dear, what about you? No preaching about the killer machines? No loud protesting? No telling me that she's going to kill me someday?"

Derek shuddered as if John would have woken him from a dream and refocused on his nephew. After few seconds of silence, he grumbled: "It's your life, John. If you think that you will be safe and happy then I'm happy for you. I may not approve of it, but I'll accept it. I just have to warn you that in the future some people won't be exactly happy with your relationship." Then he turned to Cameron who was watching him curiously. Her expression was a mix of different emotions, curiousness being the most pronounced. Then Derek did something that no one expected. Something so unlike his previous actions, behavior and words that he caused everyone to ask themselves if they're being stuck in an unbelievable dream. He stretched his hand towards the cyborg girl: "I congratulate you Cameron. Make him happy, but don't forget that I'm looking over your shoulder. Ever have and ever will."

Cameron was shocked again to see Derek's outstretched hand and hear his words. Her eyes darted between his hand and his eyes. After few seconds she finally processed her answer, accepted his hand and nodded: "I know you are, Derek. I wouldn't expect anything less from you. Nevertheless, thank you."

Sarah and John looked at them and their astonishment over Derek's change of behavior and attitude towards Cameron wore out only slowly. "Why don't you two sit down and drink a glass of champagne too? We have something to celebrate." John insisted and Sarah didn't resist. She sat down beside Cameron and her eyes remained glued to the ring. After a second she turned to John and smiled at him: "Well, at least I have raised a son with good taste. The ring is really beautiful."

John, never expecting such words from his tough mother even blushed. "Thank you. I'm glad you like it."

Sarah snorted: "I think that it's more important that she likes it." She turned to Cameron, who looked at her wide eyed with obvious astonishment in her big brown eyes: "Do you? I mean … like the ring?"

Cameron nodded: "Definitely. I like everything that John gives me." She fumbled something under the table and pulled out the rose, which John left for her in the locker. "He even gave me a rose." She presented the flower proudly.

"Did he, now? Well, well, well, I think that my son's capable of surprising even his mother, used to everything." Sarah said in slightly mocking voice, but couldn't hide that she was proud of John. "I'd never expect you to become such a gentleman, John."

John meanwhile managed to hide his slight embarrassment and answered in similar voice: "You never stop learning mom. You of all people should know that. But … for Cameron, I'd do anything." He paused, opened his mouth to say something more, but stopped as they heard a familiar voice.

"We thought that we'd find you here." Andrea's merry voice interrupted them. After she and Tim, who was carrying a large bag, came to the table, her eyes darted between the occupants and saw that they were obviously in the midst of something, so she suddenly looked worried: "Did we interrupt something?"

John grinned at her: "No, nothing. We were just about to celebrate that Cameron and I got engaged." He reached for Cameron's hand to present the ring to their friends.

A low whistle emanated from Tim's mouth while Andrea gaped at the ring with open mouth, unable to say anything. After a long moment of complete silence, Andrea finally managed to pull herself together and screeched, directed at Cameron: "Are you really engaged? Cameron! Why didn't you tell me anything before? Show me the ring!"

Cameron smiled at her satisfied: "I had no idea that John is going to give me the ring."

"So that's why I had to …." Suddenly Andrea clasped a hand over her mouth.

If anything, Cameron wasn't stupid. She quickly assessed the situation and grinned at John: "You convinced Andrea to take me shopping so that you could prepare a surprise for me." It was a statement, not inquiry.

John nodded, slightly ashamed. He opted for better remaining silent than to get into discussion with Cameron, Andrea and his mother. Sometimes even the aspiring savior of the human race must take a step back to avoid being involved into discussion he couldn't win under any circumstances.

Cameron stretched her hand and cupped his cheek: "Two white lies in one day. One for you, one for me." She grinned. Then, after a second, she added: "La Bionda, 1978."

Blank stares from everyone elicited her to mouth the addendum to the statement: "Italian group La Bionda released a song, titled 'One for you, one for me' in 1978."

John grinned at her: "My, if I'll ever want to know something about any song in the history I'll just have to ask my fiancée. How do you know so much about the music?"

"I don't sleep." Cameron's answer was immediate as was her realization that she almost revealed her true nature to Andrea and Tim and she added hastily: "Much."

Relieved that Cameron understood why he had to distract her from showing too much of her vast knowledge and even more relieved that their secret remained what it was - a secret, John looked at her thankfully.

"So you two really mean it? You're planning on getting married?" Tim asked as if he wouldn't believe it and his eyes darted between Cameron and John.

John turned to him and nodded: "Yeah, we do. But we won't hurry. When we're ready, we'll do it."

Andrea meanwhile managed to get over her slip and almost bounced anxiously in anticipation to finally be able to take a close look at the ring. Now she finally got the chance to grab Cameron's hand and look at the new ring, gracing her slender finger. Cameron smiled at her and allowed her to inspect it thoroughly. "It's so nice! I wish someone would give me such ring." She looked at Cameron, slightly dreamily but clearly happy: "You're a lucky girl, Cameron."

Cameron nodded: "I know, Andrea." Then she looked at John: "I'm lucky that John loves me the way I am."

The hidden meaning of her words was clear to John, as well as Sarah and Derek. John stroked her hand tenderly: "Oh, I guess it goes both ways. I'm lucky that someone like Cameron loves someone like me."

"Well, guys, I have to congratulate you. It's not every day that your friends decide they want to get married." Tim grinned at John and Cameron. Then he turned to Andrea: "We have something else to do, right?"

Andrea nodded, grabbed the bag from Tim's hand and pulled out a nicely wrapped present. She ignored the stunned looks from Sarah and Derek and a knowing smile from Cameron and pushed the present into John's hands: "We may have started the wrong way with you, but I think that you're really a great guy and as our thanks for accepting us as your friends, we'd like to give you this present." But before John could answer, what was more or less a questionable matter after all, for he was simply gaping at Andrea, she pulled another wrapped present out of the bag and handed it to Cameron, who, again, looked just like the moment John presented her the ring. She stared wide eyed at the present and slowly shifted her gaze up to Andrea.

Andrea grinned at her: "What? Did you really think we'd get a present only for John? Sheesh!" Then she got serious: "I'm really happy to know you, Cameron. I've never had a friend like you. I can talk to you about anything and you don't see just a dumb blonde in me, you see me as I really am. I'd really like to remain your friend."

Meanwhile Tim turned to John: "Yeah, buddy, I must join my sister's ranting. I'm glad that our paths crossed and that you accepted us regardless the not so subtle beginning."

John finally managed to overcome his surprise and looked up at Tim: "Well, that's something I definitely didn't expect. Thank you both very much."

Tim grinned and nudged his sister: "Stop ranting with Cameron. Let them open their presents."

Cameron was still gazing at the siblings in utter surprise. Today was definitely the best day that she ever had. She became intimate with John, she got proposed by him, Sarah and Derek accepted their relationship, or, at least they didn't oppose it openly, her friends gave her a present. She was happy. For the first time in her life she felt like she could explode from happiness. She jumped up and did something completely unexpected. She hugged Andrea: "Thank you so much!"

Then she eagerly tore the wrapping paper off of her present, just to hear the matching sound coming from John's direction. She already knew what John's present was, but she had absolutely no idea what could be in the packet she got from the siblings. She didn't bother to inspect the contents of the wrapping; tearing the paper and looking inside was quicker and more effective. She suddenly realized that her behavior was absolutely unlike her machine nature. She definitely behaved like an eager teenage girl, who just got an unexpected present. In a second she pulled out a leather jacket, not unlike the one she already had in purple. This one was in black and it suited perfectly to the one she chose for John. She slowly raised her look to John, just to see him inspecting the jacket with a huge grin on his face. "Did you have something to do with this John?"

John looked up from his jacket to see her inquisitive gaze and a beautiful jacket in her hands. He shook his head: "No, nothing." His eyes fell to the jacket to inspect it thoroughly: "It's beautiful. It suits perfectly to mine." Then he grinned to her: "Did YOU have something to do with this Cameron?" He lifted his jacket and didn't miss a slight look of mischievousness on Cameron's face.

"Maybe." She answered vaguely, but confirming his suspicions completely. Then she turned to Andrea and opened her mouth, but was cut short by the blonde: "Yes, I bought it after we finished our shopping trip. I guessed that your taste wouldn't differ much in choosing female clothing. Do you like it?"

Cameron smiled at her: "Yes! It's a tight present!" Then she quickly slipped the jacket on and looked at John, who was already wearing his: "We look like a couple now."

"Indeed! Not just look like one; we ARE a couple." John grinned at her. Then he turned to Andrea and Tim again: "Thank you. I really didn't expect something like this."

Cameron joined him: "Thank you very much. I appreciate it."

Sarah and Derek were watching the whole scene unraveling itself before their eyes quietly. Now Sarah finally managed to add her five cents: "Andrea, Tim. I think that this really wasn't necessary. It must have been expensive and the last thing we want is to pull the money out of your pockets."

Tim turned to her and shook his head smiling: "No problem, Sarah. They weren't that expensive. But we really wanted to give something to Cameron and John for making our vacation so much better."

"But we have nothing for you," Cameron pouted a little.

"You don't have to! You gave us some of the nicest days we ever had and that's worth more than just the money." Andrea tapped Cameron's forearm with her hand and smiled at her. Cameron wasn't completely persuaded, as John wasn't either, but decided not to pursue the matter at this moment.

John, who in the meantime took the new jacket off again, nodded at the siblings: "Take a seat, guys. We should toast to our decision. Waiter!" He saw the waiter just passing by and stopped him to order four more glasses of champagne.

While Tim and Andrea discussed the news with Sarah and Derek, completely oblivious to the fact, that they both seemed slightly reserved, Cameron bowed to John and whispered: "John? When did you get this ring?" She looked into his eyes inquisitively.

John grinned at her: "You remember when I sent you shopping with my mom and Andrea? That's when."

Suddenly realization dawned on Cameron: "That's why your clothes were folded differently as I came back."

John nodded and smiled sheepishly.

Cameron now looked at him with her best blank 'scary robot' look: "It seems that I wasn't the only one to have lied to the one I love."

John's face turned red and he shook his head, looking even more sheepish than before: "I wasn't lying, Cam. I was only deceiving you to be able to surprise you. Another little white lie, you see?"

Cameron maintained her expression for another second and let John squirm a little more. Then she smiled at him brightly: "I know John. I know and that's one of the reasons that I love you." She leaned to him and kissed him gently, not caring that there were four other people, sitting at the table.

**THE END**

* * *

_A/N_

_The end of this story, however, not the end of this little universe, or story arc, I created by starting the story. As I've already announced, I'll first write the prequel to this story. I'm not sure when, but probably within a month. It won't be such a long story as this one, just a short one (presumably only three chapters), but after reading it, John's and Cameron's behavior in this story that may have seemed strange, should be explained. _

_I've also announced that I'm probably going to write a sequel to this story. Staying in this universe, but presenting a completely different type of story/plot. However, I haven't reached the final decision yet. There are so many things that influence my writing, as most important … I've no idea if I'll have enough time to write. But if … and I stress IF! … the sequel should be started, I don't expect to start posting it before late summer._

_Last but not least; a huge __**THANK YOU!**__ to all who reviewed this story. I'm really thrilled to see so much positive response and can only hope that you'll stay also with prequel and possible sequel._


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